Bengaluru: Former India fast bowler Prasad has been elected as the new president of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), whose elections were held in the AGM at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday.
Former India cricketer Sujith Somasunder has been chosen as vice president while Santosh Menon has been elected as the secretary, a role he held from 2019 to 2022. B.N.Madhukar has been elected as the Treasurer, while BK Ravi from the rival KN Shanth Kumar panel got the Joint Secretary’s post.
Prasad, who served as KSCA vice president from 2010 to 2013 after playing 33 Tests and 161 ODIs for India, had said his ‘Team Game Changers’ panel, who made a clean sweep in the elections, had the aim of reviving the focus on cricket in the state and restoring the M Chinnaswamy Stadium’s reputation as an international venue.
The Prasad-led panel had the backing of former India cricketers Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, who also served as KSCA President and Secretary from 2010 to 2013. Now, with him receiving 749 votes as compared to his direct opponent KN Shanth Kumar, who got 588 votes, Prasad will now have his chance to live up to the promises he and his Team Game Changers panel made in their manifesto unveiled earlier this year.
Somasunder, meanwhile, recently served as the head of education at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru. He got 719 votes for Vice President’s post, as compared to D Vinod Sivappa’s 588 votes. Menon got the Secretary’s post, thanks to him getting 672 votes as compared to ES Jairam’s 632 votes.
Madhukar got 736 votes for winning the Treasurer’s post, as compared to MS Vinay’s 571 votes. The Shanth Kumar panel had something to cheer for when Ravi got 669 votes for the Joint Secretary’s post, edging competition from AV Shashidhara, who got 638 votes.
For the two spots of life members in the managing committee, VM Manjunath (690 votes) and Sailesh N Poll (618 votes) were elected. For the three positions from the Bengaluru zone, former cricketers Kalpana Venkatachar (764 votes), Avinash Vaidya (691 votes), along with Aashish Amarlall (703 votes) have been elected.
The appointments mark a fresh leadership chapter for the KSCA, who have been in dire straits following the June 4 stampede at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL 2025 victory parade, where 11 people lost their lives.
The elections itself witnessed intense competition, as rejection of several nomination papers and a case in the High Court came in the build-up. For Sunday’s eagerly awaited election, a total of 1,307 votes were polled, which is slightly fewer than the record 1,351 votes cast in 2013.
(IANS)
