New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) Former national champion and coach Vimal Kumar will contest for the post of Badminton Association of India (BAI) president if a re-election is held as per the sports ministry’s instructions.
The ministry has taken up cudgels against BAI president V.K.Verma, who was re-elected for a fourth term in June, which was in ‘violation’ of the government’s guidelines of a maximum tenure of three years for office bearers.
The ministry has already asked BAI to amend its constitution and hold fresh elections to avoid getting de-recognised.
Verma, who is the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee (CGOC) director general, is also facing the heat as he and CGOC secretary general Lalit Bhanot are under the CBI scanner for alleged financial irregularities in the preparations for the Games.
Vimal Kumar, who played for India for 15 years and was the national champion 1988-1990, has sent a letter to the BAI executive council Wednesday intimating his decision to contest for the president’s post and seeking its support, sources told IANS.
He has also made it clear that he will abide by the government guidelines.
BAI, on the other hand, will decide on its future course of action at its special general meeting, tentatively fixed Jan 10 in Rohtak during the senior national championships. The members will take stock of the situation and also ‘amend the constitution’ in view of the sports ministry’s insistence on following its guidelines.
The sports ministry had dashed off a letter to BAI Nov 11 giving it 90 days to amend its consitution in accordance with the ministry’s guidelines and hold fresh elections.
‘It is expected that some amendments will be made to the constitution. It will be decided in the meeting how to tackle the situation.’ a BAI official told IANS.
Verma won the contest for the president’s post after former cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin, who jumped in the fray with the ministry’s baking, withdraw at the last minute. But a section of BAI office bearers claimed that the election has been tampered with and the matter is in the Rajasthan High Court.
