Lalit Modi’s dream of retaining the mantle in the RCA (Rajasthan Cricket Association) went down the drain, when Congressman CP Joshi beat his son Ruchir Modi to become the new RCA president. It was a sweet revenge for Joshi, who withdrew from elections earlier, as his supporters switched their loyalties to the Modi camp. In the RCA elections conducted on June 2, Joshi made the lead by 5 votes, bagging total 19 votes. On a shocking note for Modi, Ruchir got just 14 votes.
Lalit Modi’s Tarnished Image Turned out to be the Cause Behind Ruchir’s Failure…
The Rajasthan cricket team won the Ranji Trophy in 2010-2011, under Hrishikesh Kanitkar. They retained it the next year, when Joshi was still the RCA president. Not long after that, Joshi lost his standing and Modi successfully staged his comeback.
Nevertheless, the former IPL chairman was expelled from all cricket boards by the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India Affairs) in 2013 on the grounds of indiscipline and misconduct. This didn’t stop him from using the RSA (Rajasthan Sports Act 2005) to contest for the RCA elections last year. Though Modi established his control on the Rajasthan Cricket Association, the angered BCCI members suspended RCA’s membership due to Modi’s past. The BCCI cited the Supreme Court’s verdict: “Any board that is found to act against the rules enforced by the law will be penalized”.
The RCA members passed a no-confidence motion against Modi, in a special meeting conducted in March this year. Meanwhile, the board ensured that internal politics didn’t influence the career of local players.
The board called in for elections but Lalit Modi supporters canceled the last round of polls on April 26, saying that the provisions of Rajasthan Sports act don’t comply with the standards set by the Lodha Committee. Upon the court’s order, the elections finally took place on May 26, under the supervision of the election officer Mr. AK Pandey.
To Modi’s surprise, it’s not just his son who lost the elections, but another Congressman named Mohammad Iqbal defeated his ally Ram Prakash Choudhary to take on the role of the RCA vice-president. Pinkesh Jain (treasurer), Mahendra Nahar and KK Nimawat (executive member)—all supporters of Joshi occupied important positions on the board.
The only fraction of relief that came to Modi was selection of Rajendra Singh Nandu as the RCA secretary. Nadu is a believed to be the hardcore supporter of Modi.
How Modi’s Presence Influenced Rajasthan Cricket?
The RCA had been bearing the brunt of Modi’s actions since quite a long time. Apart from facing BCCI’s suspension, they received a warning that they would continue this way until Modi is removed from all the primary bodies of RCA. Nevertheless, like a gluttonous fellow that he is, he continued to hold on to the position of Nagaur District Association president.
Therefore, the RCA bodies approached Joshi to help repair their image. Though Modi did a commendable job at developing infrastructure for Rajasthan, it can’t be denied that his controversial position in the IPL could’ve adversely affected the future of RCA.
