Prasad-led cricketers come to power | Bengaluru News

Bengaluru: The stakeholders of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) voted overwhelmingly in favour of the Venkatesh Prasad-led panel, which clinched four of the five office-bearer posts in the elections held on Sunday.In a two-way contest, former India pacer Prasad secured a convincing win over KN Shanth Kumar with a margin of 747–558. Former secretary Santosh Menon returned to the position he relinquished three years ago, after a close contest with ES Jairam. Prasad’s former teammate Sujith Somasundar won the vice-president’s post, defeating Vinod Sivappa by a comfortable margin.BN Madhukar, son of the former secretary, late C Nagaraj, was elected treasurer.The only post bagged by Team Brijesh was that of the joint secretary, won by former international umpire BK Ravi.Among the other cricketers to make the new panel were former international Kalpana Venktachar, who became the first woman to be elected for any position at the KSCA and former Karnataka wicketkeeper Avinash Vaidya. Both made it to the managing committee from the Bangalore Zone. What was expected to be a close contest turned into a one-sided affair midway through the counting process. The Prasad-led team, which enjoyed strong backing from former cricketers including Anil Kumble and Javagal Srinath, had Kumble at the venue when the results were announced. An emotional Menon hugged Kumble after the final numbers flashed on a large LED screen.An elated Prasad, who campaigned strongly on the promise of bringing international cricket back to the iconic Chinnaswamy Stadium, reiterated his commitment.“First and foremost, this is a victory for the sport of cricket,” he said. “It is a victory for members who wanted change and for everyone who wanted international cricket to return to Chinnaswamy. This is a win for all stakeholders — especially the fans.”Prasad also thanked stalwarts Kumble, Srinath, Shantha Rangaswamy and others who supported the panel.Kumble, one of the early voters in the day, posed with Prasad after the results and appeared visibly delighted. Among the 1,307 life and institutional members who voted were former internationals GR Vishwanath, Shantha, Rahul Dravid, Roger Binny, Sunil Joshi and Pramila Bhat. Srinath, who campaigned extensively for Prasad and team, missed the elections owing to his duties as an ICC match referee, currently officiating in New Zealand. Elections were held for five office-bearer posts and ten positions on the managing committee. The Mangalore Zone candidate from Shanth Kumar’s panel, Shekar Shetty, was declared elected unopposed.Results: President: Venkatesh Prasad bt KN Shanth Kumar 747–558Vice-President: Sujith Somasundar bt Vinod Sivappa 719–588Secretary: Santosh Menon bt EA Jairam 675–632Joint Secretary: BK Ravi bt AV Shashidara 669–638Treasurer: BN Madhukar bt MS Vinay 736–571Managing committee: Life members: VM Manjunath (690), Sailesh Poll (618)Bangalore Zone: Kalpana Venkatachar (764), Aashish Amarlall (703), Avinash Vaidya (691); Zonal: Mysore – Srinivas Prasad (746); Shivamogga – DS Arun (722); Tumkur – CR Harish (734); Dharwad – Veeranna Savadi (825); Raichur – Kushal Patil Gadgi (704); Mangalore: Shekar Shetty (unopposed)