Hotelier and AAP man Amarjit set to be PCA president
Deepankar Sharda
Chandigarh, February 19
Amarjit Singh Mehta, a hotelier from Bathinda who has been associated with the Aam Aadmi Party, is set to become the president of the Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) as he is the sole candidate for the post.
Mehta has filed his nomination for the top post from the Moga Cricket Association. Talking with The Tribune, he shrugged off his political links, but his own social media posts cite him as an AAP functionary, and he is known for his close association with various political parties in the state. According to sources, he has been closely associated with former Punjab cabinet ministers.
Final list
Preet Mohinder Singh Banga is the only contestant for the post of the vice-president. Banga has served in the PCA Apex Council in the past. Sunil Gupta has filed his nomination for the post of the treasurer, and he too is the only candidate for the post.
Vikrant Gupta (Amritsar Games Association), Sanjeet Singh (District Cricket Association, Sangrur) and Harsimran Singh (Fatehgarh Sahib District Cricket Association) have filed their nominations for three positions in the Apex Council. All the nominations are likely to be accepted unanimously.
The nominations will be taken up for scrutiny tomorrow, said Dharam Vir, Electoral Officer. The final list is scheduled to be out on February 25.
PCA without prez
Last October, then PCA president Gulzar Inder Singh Chahal had submitted his resignation, within five months of becoming the youngest ever PCA top boss.
Chahal, a former cricketer and actor, was unanimously elected as the president on May 27, but his stint lasted only four-and-a-half months. He cited ‘personal reasons’ for his resignation, though there were reports of infighting in the association.
Former India cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who is the PCA’s chief advisor, had accused the PCA administrators of “illegal activities”. He had claimed he had received complaints from some office-bearers, who accused Chahal of granting life memberships to his close associates without following due process. After Chahal’s resignation, former vice-president Gagan Khanna and treasurer Rakesh Walia had followed him out.
