A section of the members have alleged that the current office bearers of the controversial club are muzzling the competition for the upcoming elections to be held on February 10 and 17
Last year, even the Action team (which comprises the current management) freely campaigned on the NSCI premises
How does one win an election without campaigning? That's the question members are asking the managing committee of National Sports Club of India (NSCI), which has banned all campaigning activities on the premises ahead of the club polls. Dissenters allege that this is merely a ploy by the current management to silence any opposition in the polls at a time when several members are unhappy about the club's recent controversies.
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Like every year, the posh Worli club is set to elect 12 new members (six each from Mumbai and Delhi) to its managing committee next month. Polls will be held in Delhi on February 10, and in Mumbai a week later, on February 17.
The rival United Active Force team also was allowed to campaign on the NSCI premises during last year's election, unlike now
What set this year's election apart, however, is the new ban on campaigning on NSCI's premises. According to the election code of conduct circulated among the members this year, no stalls or campaign activities will be allowed within the club's boundary walls. Members will not even be allowed to wear T-shirts or caps to declare their support for a candidate or group.
Many members are upset with these new rules which, they claim, were introduced to quash any competition to the camp currently in power. While there are several factions in the fray, the main contest is between two groups - Action Team (AT) and United Active Force (UAF). The AT group supports the existing managing committee, while the UAF has called for a change in guard at the helm of the club. Interestingly, both the AT and UAF teams had campaigned heavily in the 2018 election.
NSCI's Mumbai elections will be held on February 17
'Undemocratic'
"Those contesting elections need to campaign for themselves and the group that they support. But this year, the new set of rules have been designed to create hurdles for candidates contesting the elections, which will only help the existing committee to strengthen their base," said Ramkishore Singhi, an active club member. Singhi on Monday filed his dissent with the management, terming the new rules as "undemocratic". "I am waiting for the reply from the club," he added.
This clash comes at a time when the club is already divided due to several controversies over illegal construction and other violations of civic norms. "In the past few years, the club has earned a lot of criticism and negative publicity. The image of the club has taken a hit. There is urgent need for damage control, which the current team is not doing," said another NSCI member.
The other side
Jayantilal Shah, president of NSCI, denied all allegations levelled against the committee. He said that many members had complained to the managing committee about the invasion of their privacy due to election campaigns. He said that members felt they were being subjected to "torture", as candidates would often stop their cars in the club premises to ask for their support. "At times, candidates even walk into different areas and departments of the club to campaign. The executive committee of the club has therefore drafted a code of conduct, which will not only ensure a fair and transparent election, but will also make life easy for club members. There is no intention to harass any individual or group," Shah said.
"The draft code is unbiased and applicable to everyone, be it a candidate supporting the managing committee or opposing it." the president added Around 14,500 voters from Mumbai and nearly 5,500 from Delhi will elect 12 new members to the committee in the upcoming polls. There are 60 members in the committee, and each of them have a tenure of five years. Every year, 12 members are replaced in rotation.
Courting controversy
mid-day has consistently reported about the alleged violations of civic rules by the high-profile club. The club NSCI is situated on nearly 11 acres of prime sea-facing land in Worli, on lease from the BMC. As per the sanctioned development plan, the plot is earmarked as a recreational ground (RG), and was leased to the club for sports activities in the late 1990s. In the recent past, however, the club has been at the centre of several controversies for alleged illegal alterations and violations of the terms of lease. However, the club management has denied all charges.
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