BJD Leader Pranab Prakash Das In Race For Odisha Cricket Association President

Bhubaneswar: The scheduled election to Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) took a political twist on Friday with BJD general secretary (organization) Pranab Prakash Das entering the fray for the post of president.

According to sources, Pranab Prakash’s name for president was proposed by Jajpur Association and the members supported it. Similarly, Pankaj Lochan Mohanty will contest for the Vice President post and Sanjay Behera for Secretary. These decisions were taken at a crucial meeting of OCA. The election is scheduled on October 28.

Mohanty on Thursday had told the media he won’t vie for re-election if Das enters the fray.

The three-time BJD MLA from Jajpur became eligible for contesting election since the ambit of the term ‘Public Servants’ recommended Lodha committee for holding posts in state cricket bodies has been reduced to only ministers and government employees (IAS officers). He has also enrolled as a representative of his native Jajpur district and is among the 73 voting members as per the draft electoral roll published on Tuesday.

If Das wins, he will become the second BJD politician to head a sports body after Dilip Tirkey, the former India hockey team captain and ex-party MP, who recently took charge as Hockey India president.