Gopinath Munde confident of proving he is a resident of Mumbai ahead of MCA polls

Gopinath Munde, who suffered a setback to his nomination to contest for the presidentship of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) as his application was rejected on the basis of the residential criteria, has decided to file an appeal with the MCA on Tuesday.

Gopinath Munde’s application to contest for the MCA presidency was rejected on the basis that certain documents suggested that he is not a resident of Mumbai © IANS

By Taus Rizvi

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Gopinath Munde, who suffered a setback to his nomination to contest for the presidentship of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) as his application was rejected on the basis of the residential criteria, has decided to file an appeal with the MCA on Tuesday.
 
The MCA biennial election is on October 18. According to MCA rules, only a resident of Mumbai can become a governing member of the cricket body and it is reported that Munde’s voter’s list does not have a Mumbai address. In an interview, Munde said he will appeal the against the rejection.

Taus Rizvi (TR): When will you register your appeal against your nomination being rejected for not showing Mumbai address?

Gopinath Munde (GM): I will register my appeal with the Mumbai Cricket Association president on Tuesday. My lawyer will go and submit the appeal. If my appeal is rejected then I will go to court.

TR: What is the problem with the address?

GM: Somebody with the name of C Sanghavi of Vile Parle Sports Club claimed that my voter’s list does not have Mumbai address. But I don’t think that it is necessary since my passport address, IT and PAN card, are all based on my Mumbai address. Sharad Pawar was the president of the MCA for 10 years even though his voter’s list mentioned Baramati in his address. Only three months ago, he changed his address to Mumbai. Vilasrao [Deshmukh] voter card was from Latur, but his passport and other documents had Mumbai. It’s the same from my side.

TR: Are you confident that your matter will be cleared?
 
GM: I have proof that I am a resident of Mumbai. I don’t think it should be rejected. The person who raised the objection is there with the MCA for long and people in the executive body, too, are association’s people. Let’s hope the decision is impartial.

TR: Have you started preparations for the polls?

GM: I have already started my preparations. I am campaigning, calling up people. If my appeal is accepted then I won’t get any time to do it since the elections are on October 18.

TR: How confident are you of a win?

GM: I am very confident. People, clubs and their members are not happy with the current administration because they have their own monopoly. There are some issues related to BKC memberships and other important issues, which need to be solved.

TR: You will be competing with Sharad Pawar, who is a veteran in cricket administration…

GM: It is elections and I will put my whole effort and compete. Voters have asked me to contest. My heart says I have the solution and I can do it. I think change is required. And I favour change completely.

(Taus Rizvi is a Principal Correspondent with DNA. A club-level cricketer, he believes cricket helps in knowing a person’s character. Taus can be followed on @rizvitaus on Twitter. The above news has been republished with permission from DNA, where it first appeared)

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