HYDERABAD: Former India skipper Mohammad Azharuddin's bid for the top-most post of the Hyderabad Cricket Association has hit a major roadblock as his nomination was rejected by the returning officer, K Rajeev Reddy, here on Saturday. Only two names -- G Vivekanand and Vidyuth Jaisimha -- remain in the fray for the numero uno post.
The wristy batsman has said that he would approach the High Court soon after the Sankranti vacation ends. It should be noted that Vivekanand is a former Member of Parliament and was recently appointed as one of the advisors to the Telangana Government.
The returning officer cited two reasons for Azhar's disqualification. "He (Azharuddin) did not submit the required documents which would show that his ban has been lifted by the BCCI. Plus, his name is not of the electoral roll list, which is mandatory for all the contestants running for the various administrative offices," Reddy told Express.
The election process has been in total disarray as the incumbent association officials have termed it "illegal". "The returning officer is not even from the election commission. This whole thing is just void," recently resigned HCA president Arshad Ayub had told Express on Friday. Eighteen contestants have been shortlisted for the six different portfolios for which the elections are due on January 17.
Interestingly, T Shesh Narayan is likely to emerge as the winner as he is the only one remaining in the hunt for the position of Hon. Secretary. "A total of 30 people filed their papers for the President's post and 36 for the Vice-President," said Reddy. The final list was to be unveiled on Friday but the returning officer said a number of contestants had asked for a time window and thus the deadline was extended.