National Sports Council (NSC) had dissolved the CAN executive committee led by Binay Raj Pandey on October 26 and formed a new executive committee headed by UCPN (Maoist) cadre Tanka Aangbuhang. NSC has ordered newly formed committee to formulate its statute and hold election within the 60 days. [break]
As per the NSC directives, the CAN will hold its election on December 18 in Chitwan.
Though cricket officials are busy in their electoral homework, nobody has formally announced their candidacy until Wednesday. However, current CAN President Aangbuhang and general secretary of the Pandey-committee Tanka Paneru are said to be preparing to stake claim for the presidency of the governing body of the Nepali cricket.
"We have executive committee meeting tomorrow (on Thursday). We have begun the exercise to elect executive committee unanimously," said Aangbuhang.
"I´m discussing my candidacy with the experienced people in the cricketing community and they all have responded positively," he added.
Aangbuhang expressed his confidence about getting elected from the general assembly. "I´ll try to forge consensus to include all the experienced people and even if anybody will contest against me, I´ll be happy to defeat him," said Aangbuhang.
A CAN member close to Aangbuhang said that the president is planning to give continuity to the current team that includes vice-president Sunil Amatya, general secretary Ashok Nath Pyakurel, TB Shah and Shree Niwas Rana.
Meanwhile, Upendra Bhattarai, who is thought to be a close ally of ex-president Pandey, said that he has neither gotten the copy of the new statute of CAN, nor decided about his candidacy for any post.
"I´ll see how things proceed. If the cricketing community is willing to forge a consensus for the development of the game, I´m ok with or without any position," said Bhattarai.
NSC had approved the statute of CAN on November 30, 2011 and ordered the CAN to pass the statute through its general assembly.
As per the new statute, the 31 members of the current executive committee, one representative each from 37 member district, two representatives each from eight cricketing regions, a representative each of coaches and umpires as well as the five person nominated by the president will vote in the election.
On the other hand, former general secretary Paneru, who has criticized NSC´s decision to form the new committee, is still mulling over two options: filing candidacy for presidency or fighting a legal battle.
"The more I see the more I realize that there is faint chance for free and fair election," said Paneru, who is a CPN-UML cadre.
"Among the 91 voters, 52 are directly or indirectly nominated by government. In this condition, how could it be free and fair?" questioned Paneru.
Paneru has sent his complaints regarding the election to International Cricket Council (ICC) and Asian Cricket Council (ACC). "No need to say that this is purely a political move, which may invite further political intervention every time the government changes here," Paneru wrote in his letter to the ICC.
Paneru claimed that the NSC´s step to approve CAN´s statute with amendments is against the ICC regulation of avoiding government interference within the cricket board.
"I´ve asked ICC and ACC to closely monitor all the election procedures as I doubt the chance of the election being free and fair," said Paneru. He accused Aangbuhang of planning to use Maoist influence to turn the result in his favor by holding the election in Chitwan.
"They are just trying to avoid cricketing community and media during the election," claimed Paneru.
Akhtar and team to withdraw court case
Former national cricketers Aamir Akhtar, Manoj Baishya and cricket enthusiast Surya Thapaliya and Shailendra Khadka announced to withdraw the court case against Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN).
"We appreciate the move by CAN to provide monthly allowance to the national cricketers and its declaration to host the executive committee election on December 18," said Akhtar in a press conference on Wednesday.
Akhtar and his team had moved the Supreme Court demanding the election of the cricket governing body in April 2011. In the public interest litigation filed by Akhtar and his team, they had demanded central contract for cricketers and decentralization of cricketing activities.
"The newly appointed CAN executive committee has already announced the date for election and assured players of monthly allowance. They have promised to bring decentralization policy as soon as possible," said Thapaliya. "In this scenario, we thought it would be better not to prolong the legal complication through the court case," he added.
In the press conference, CAN executive committee member Kiran Rana thanked Akhtar and his team for withdrawing the case.
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