Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot’s son Vaibhav elected RCA president

Yash Goyal
Jaipur, October 4

Vaibhav Gehlot, son of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, was on Friday elected as president of Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) as his panel swept all six posts in a tension-ridden election of the state body.

He polled 25 out of 31 votes amidst unprecedented police security cover at SMS Stadium here.

Vaibhav defeated his rival Ram Prakash Choudhary, Jodhpur DSA’s secretary, who had the support of the BJP and former IPL chairman Lalit Modi.  

According to the election officer of RCA RR Rashmi, Ameen Pathan was elected as vice president, Mahendra Sharma as secretary, KK Nimawat as treasurer, Mahendra Nahar as joint secretary, and Devaram Choudhary as executive member. 

Vaibhav supported by outgoing RCA president and Assembly Speaker CP Joshi, was declared elected by Rashmi. 

All six contestants of Lalit Modi and Congress leader Rameshwar Dudi’s (Nagaur DCA secretary) lost the poll battle.  

Expressing his gratitude to all members, Gehlot announced his decision to appoint CP Joshi as chief patron of RCA.

“An RCA stadium will come up in Jaipur, and youth of all 33 districts in Rajasthan will be encouraged and given opportunities to play. We will take with us every member who could not win the election and there is no group in RCA. We will try to organise important international matches in Jaipur,” Vaibhav joined by Joshi told media.  

After his Lok Sabha poll defeat in Jodhpur parliamentary constituency in May this year, Vaibhav has brought glory and prestige back to his father Ashok Gehlot who avoided any reaction on his son’s victory.

Of the total 32 votes, only 31 members cast their votes as one voter Gagan Khoda, an international player, did not come. 

Due to his foreign visit, Sanyam Lodha, secretary of Sirohi DCA and MLA, a proxy vote was counted when voting was held from 9 am to 12 noon.

The election officer had already disaffiliated three DCAs of Alwar, Nagaur and Sriganganangar as their names did not figure in final polling list.  

However, after the polling began two rival contestants Ramprakash and Aishvarya Katoch with their disqualified members held a protest outside the election camp area in SMS Stadium alleging that proxy vote was used wrongly, and a serial number of voters was mentioned on the ballot paper which was unconstitutional.

The stadium was turned into a fortress apprehending any clash between the Dudi and Joshi groups, and 200 cops were deployed with top intelligence wing, DCP-South Yogesh Dadhich said.