On Tuesday, July 23, the current secretary of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), Ajinkya Naik, defeated vice-president Sanjay Naik by a wide majority of 107 votes to become the next president of the MCA. Ajinkya, who is 37 years old, is the youngest MCA president.
Election Officer J.S. Saharia reported that 335 votes were cast. Sharad Pawar, a seasoned politician and the previous president of both the ICC and the BCCI, supported Ajinkya, and he won 221–114. Sanjay, the current vice president, was supported by the Ashish Shelar group in the meantime. Shelar, a BJP leader, serves as the BCCI treasurer.
The secretary’s position was unfilled upon Ajinkya’s appointment as president. In forty-five days, a fresh election will be held to determine the next secretary.
“Amol Kale’s outstanding accomplishment is demonstrated by the triumph. In a statement, Ajinkya stated, “I will make every effort to emulate his devotion and commitment to raising the standard of Mumbai cricket and carrying on his legacy.
Some of the most well-known individuals who turned out to vote were Paras Mhambrey, Sanjay Manjrekar, Balvinder Singh Sandhu, Zaheer Khan, former national cricket player Ajit Agarkar, and chairman of selectors for India. Members of gymkhana clubs, college delegates, and maidan club also stood forward to cast their votes.
Fourteen rounds of voting were conducted. Every ballot was accepted as legitimate, and none of the candidates’ representatives raised any objections.
After everything was said and done, Sanjay Naik received 114 votes, while Ajinkya Naik received 221 legitimate votes.
Election officer JS Saharia declared, “Ajinkya Naik is elected as the MCA president. At the end of the voting, none of the candidates requested a recount, thus the AGM was called back and the results were announced.
Following his victory, a delighted Ajinkya proceeded to share the glory with the secretaries of Maidan clubs, gymkhanas at schools and colleges, and the former cricket players.
“Maidan cricket has won with this. All of the Maidan club secretaries, gymkhana secretaries from schools and colleges, and former cricket players are proud of this victory. All I am is their spokesman. I have been working with MCA since 2015 in a variety of roles, and because of the maidan clubs and their secretaries, the experience has been like climbing a pyramid,” Ajinkya remarked.
Ajinkya expressed his confidence in winning, but he wished to keep quiet until the results were announced. Also, he identified Pawar as his teacher.
“I was silent until the official results were in, even though it was expected. I had a lot of invisible powers in the game of cricket working for me. However, Sharad Pawar sir has unquestionably been our guru. He has been supporting me,” said Ajinkya.
Shelar, meanwhile, gave his support to the incoming president and declared that all sides will cooperate to improve Mumbai cricket.
This was a friendly competition, and Ajinkya Naik won. From this point forward, everyone will strive to improve the association. I will support him (Ajinkya). Our priority would be on the development of Mumbai players and giving them access to the best resources.
Also Read: Watch: Kapil Dev sends his best wishes for a speedy recovery with a strong Anshuman Gaekwad, who is facing cancer
“Our candidate, Sanjay Naik, fought with a proper sense of sportsmanship. I’ll compel him to collaborate with everyone on behalf of our family, the cricket community.
Home