CUTTACK: A special general body (GB) meeting convened by the Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) turned stormy after it was proposed to further shift the election of the sports body’s office-bearers, here on Sunday.
During the meeting, the OCA passed a resolution to defer the election till the introduction of a new state Sports Bill. However, some members strongly protested the move and staged a walkout at the Barabati Stadium conference hall where the GB meeting was held.
The OCA election is due from October 2025. However, due to the imminent T20 international match between India and South Africa in December, the members had agreed to postpone it.
The OCA council member and former MLA Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra who was present in the meeting strongly condemned the move calling it an attempt to delay the elections. It’s unethical, he told this paper.
Mohapatra alleged that deferring the election is the violation of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) norms. “Sixteen states have already conducted their elections on due date as per the recommendation of the Lodha Committee while OCA is yet to do the same despite tenure of the existing office-bearers ending in October 2025,” he said.
The OCA member said, nowhere BCCI has issued any instruction to wait for the new Sports Policy to conduct the state cricket association election. The OCA had even brought in a special invitee to the GB meeting without prior information, he added.
“Since 1950s, the Odisha team has participated in various national cricket tournaments but never won any titles. During 1990s, we positioned our Ranji team in the semifinals. Presently, the state team ranks 30th among the 32 participating teams in Ranji Trophy,” said Mohapatra.
Calling for fair inquiry into activities of OCA, Mohapatra said he will inform the BCCI and seek legal recourse if elections are not held promptly.