» Azharuddin Doesn't Turn Up For Badminton Association (BAI) Polls
Azhar Doesn't Turn Up For BAI Polls
Mohammed Azharuddin backed out on his bid to become the President of the Badminton Association of India, enabling incumbent V K Verma get elected for a fourth term.
Former India cricket captain and serving Member of Parliament from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh, Mohammed Azharuddin, backed out on his bid to become the President of the Badminton Association of India, enabling incumbent V K Verma to be named elected for a fourth successive term.
The stage was set for a stand-off between Azhar and Verma at the BAI's Annual General Meeting in Chennai, but neither did the former cricketer file his nomination papers, nor did he turn up at the meeting, leaving the Board members with no option but to nominate the latter for yet another term.
According to the BAI's constitution, even those persons who are not its members are allowed to contest for the President's post, but their names have to be proposed. With Azhar not even filing his nomination papers, the question of anyone proposing his name did not even arise.
The run-up to the elections had caught the attention of the media since it was rumoured that Azhar's bid to head the BAI was backed by the Ministry of Sports. These rumours have never been confirmed.
Azhar had also approached a court to try and get the election stayed, but the court had rejected his plea earlier.
Verma, on his part, had said that the former cricket was 'ineligible' to contest for the post, citing the life ban imposed by the BCCI after allegations of 'match-fixing' against the former captain rocked the nation.
The Ministry of Sports then accused the BAI of neglecting to inform it of the elections as per the norms, and appointed Deepika Kacchal as an observer for the elections.