The Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) is yet to take the call on the Lodha Panel recommendation and remove Mr Anurag Thakur from its top post as it was keenly waiting the outcome of petition moved before the Supreme Court (SC) by the State Cricket Association today as the hearing was fixed on Jan 24th matter, a senior functionary of state cricket body told Himvani.
The Spokesman of HPCA Mr. Mohit Sood said that the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) special Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held at Dharamshala to discuss the implementation of Lodha Panel recommendations besides electing its new President. However the AGM unanimously decided to wait for the outcome of SC hearing in the matter before taking any further call on the Lodha Panel recommendations to implement after appointing new HPCA office bearers and removing HPCA President Mr. Anurag Thakur from the top post of HPCA in the State.
He said that since the State cricket bodies today moved petition before the SC and the matter was fixed on Jan 24 therefore the AGM would take further decision on the outcome of the hearing. He said that Special AGM of HPCA was held in Dharamshala today, headed by its Senior Vice President Mr. Arun Dhumal.
“As the petition of State Association was pending in the SC Court and was listened by the court today, the next hearing has been scheduled for 24th Jan 2017.” Mr. Sood said. He said that Spl AGM would be reconvened against as the HPCA House would meet again after the Court verdict. He said that apart from this, no other decision was taken in the meeting and it ended with a vote of thanks to the Senior Vice President. The AGM remained indecisive to take the call of changing the HPCA top posts and its officer bearers today and it resolved to wait final outcome of SC fresh observation on the matter.
After ouster of Anurag Thakur as the President of BCCI there was expectation that he could not continue as HPCA President following the Lodha Panel guidelines, his younger brother Arun Dhumal or former Ranji captain Vikram Rathore is likely to be elected for the post during the meeting. HPCA has 12 office-bearers, out of which 11 are not eligible to continue as they have completed the tenure of nine years or more. Arun is not an HPCA office-bearer at present but he has not played any Ranji match which could go against him, sources said. Despite playing for HP for a short while, Mr. Rathore may also find himself ineligible for contest since he was born in Jalandhar, Punjab, and he doesn’t have a state domicile. Mr. Anurag did not attend the AGM as he have to stay out of AGM since heading HPCA for last around 16 years.
It was in the year 2000 when Anurag had became the HPCA president first time at an age of 25. In Himachal, he is credited to have made cricket popular even in remote corners of the state and turned the fortunes of the state cricket body from a fund starved organization to a cash rich body. Since its formation in 1960, HPCA has seen only four Presidents – Sardar Preetpal Singh, Rajinder Zar, Raghubir Singh Thakur and Anurag Thakur. Anurag has not only held the president’s post for the longest term but also faced no opposition in the association so far.