Mumbai: NSCI rulers cripple challengers with ban on campaigns

How does one win an election without campaigning Thats 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 clubs recent controversiesLike 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 17The rival United Active Force team also was allowed to campaign on the NSCI premises during last years election unlike nowWhat set this years election apart however is the new ban on campaigning on NSCIs premises According to the election code of conduct circulated among the members this year no stalls or campaign activities will be allowed within the clubs boundary walls Members will not even be allowed to wear Tshirts or caps to declare their support for a candidate or groupMany 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 electionNSCIs Mumbai elections will be held on February 17UndemocraticThose 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 addedThis 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 memberThe other sideJayantilal 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 ascandidates 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 saidThe draft code is unbiased and applicable to everyone be it a candidate supporting the managing committee or opposing it the president added Around 14500 voters from Mumbai and nearly 5500 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 rotationCourting controversymidday has consistently reported about thealleged violations of civic rules by the highprofile clubThe club NSCIis situated on nearly 11 acres of prime seafacing 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 chargesCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates