35 members attend meeting called by Abdullah’s faction

In a show of strength, Farooq Abdullah on Friday claimed that 35 out of the 64 members of the Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association (JKCA) attended a meeting called by his faction here.

“We had a meeting of the Working Committee on Friday which was attended by 35 members of the association. What they (rebel) have, are the government nominated members,” Abdullah told reporters after the meeting held at a hotel. In an attempt to end Abdullah’s 35-year grip over the JKCA, 44 members of the association had an election on Monday to elect senior PDP leader and state sports minister Imran Raza Ansari as its president.

The Abdullah faction approached a local court in Jammu which kept the results of the elections in abeyance till July 31. Asked about the stand of BCCI on the latest developments in the JKCA, the former Chief Minister said it was for the cricket’s national governing body to decide.

“Look I am not BCCI. So I can’t answer. Better you should ask them,” Abdullah said when asked about the silence maintained by the cricket governing body on the issue so far.