NEW DELHI: Ajinkya Naik beat Sanjay Naik by a significant margin of 107 votes to become the new president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Tuesday.
Ajinkya, the former MCA secretary, secured a decisive victory with 221 votes against Sanjay's 114.
The victory makes 37-year-old Ajinkya the youngest president in the history of the MCA, backed by veteran politician and former BCCI and ICC president Sharad Pawar.
The election process began on July 4, following the untimely death of previous MCA president Amol Kale in New York. Kale had traveled with MCA officials to watch the T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan when he passed away.
"The victory is a testament to Amol Kale's exemplary achievement. My efforts will be to replicate his commitment and dedication to improving the quality of Mumbai cricket and take his legacy forward," Ajinkya said in a statement.
In total, 335 votes were cast on Tuesday afternoon. Voters included India's chairman of selectors and former cricketer Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Sanjay Manjrekar, Balvinder Singh Sandhu, and Paras Mhambrey. The voter base also comprised members of maidan clubs, gymkhana clubs, and college representatives.
Election officer JS Saharia said while announcing the result, "The votes were counted in 14 rounds. None of the candidates' representatives objected to any ballot paper and all the votes were deemed valid.
"At the end of the counting, Sanjay Naik earned 114 votes while Ajinkya Naik got 221 valid votes. At the end of the conclusion of voting, none of the candidates sought recount, so the AGM has been reconvened and Ajinkya Naik is declared elected as the MCA president."
Speaking to the media shortly after his win, Ajinkya said, “This is the victory of Maidan cricket. It's a triumph of all the Maidan club secretaries, schools and college gymkhana secretaries and the former cricketers. I am only their representative.”
"I have been serving MCA since 2015 in various capacities and it is a pyramid-like journey, thanks to maidan clubs and their secretaries."
BJP leader Ashish Shelar, the current BCCI treasurer, expressed support for the newly elected president.
"This was a friendly contest in which Ajinkya Naik emerged victorious. From hereon we will all work towards betterment of the association. He (Ajinkya) will have my backing. Our focus will be on developing Mumbai players and provide them with the best of facilities.
"Our candidate Sanjay Naik fought with the right sporting spirit. I will urge him to work with everyone for our family (the cricket community)."
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