Terming the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association elections as “properly democratic”, Minister of Youth Service and Sports Imran Raza Ansari, who was elected as JKCA’s new president today said the court stay order wouldn’t affect his election as head of the prestigious cricket body.‘I assumed office today only soon after I was elected as JKCA’s president,” Ansari told KNS over phone.He said the Excise Magistrate’s (Jammu) stayed the elections on a plea by former vice-president of JKCA Arvind Singh Mickey, and “the order wouldn’t affect our work.” “The stay order copy has not reached to us, and we are not aware of it,” he said.
Ansari said the JKCA elections happened as per schedule and the former president Dr Farooq Abdullah was duly informed about the elections about one and half a month before.“We also wrote letter to him and asked him to participate in the elections of the association. But he chooses not to participate. The election happened in a proper democratic process in which 44 members participated and unanimously elected me as the president,” he added. “Now those who term the elections as undemocratic are only making wrong statements,’ he said.On multi-crore scam in JKCA, Ansari said the matter is sub-judice, “but that will not hamper our work.”
Ansari said that his priority as president of JKCA would be overhauling the association which has suffered hugely in past many decades because of corruption and ill-administration. “Development of cricketing infrastructure in the state will be my top priority, besides launching a massive talent hunt across the state to pick up talented youth who will be professionally trained so that they will represent the state at national and international levels,’ he said.Ansari said that demand of people to make JKCA corruption free will be fulfilled, and added that State Sports Council will construct cricket sports stadiums in all districts to give boost to the cricketing talent. “I will honestly try to work towards all these goals,” he said.