Kalyan Chaubey, who was the favorite from the beginning, has gone a few steps further in the race to sit in the All-India Football Federation. And his biggest proof is that today, Wednesday, he has invited the officials of 36 state organizations in New Delhi. Invitations have gone to the heads of various organizations, and tickets have been sent to some to come to Delhi. According to information available to influential officials, the heads of at least 24 to 25 of the 36 state organizations are going to attend the meeting in the capital.
Race to become the new president
According to the Supreme Court’s ruling, only 36 state bodies have voting rights. 36 ex-footballers were disenfranchised along with 36 state bodies proposed by the COA (Committee of Administrators). This means, that in the electoral battle, whoever has the votes of the 19 state bodies, is the one who is ahead in the race to become the new AIFF President. If you can present 24 to 25 state organizations in that place, there is no question of making the election match of Kalyan to extra time or tiebreaker.
There is no guarantee that all 24 to 25 of them will support the ballot box. However, the fact that everyone is running in a hurry is also very indicative!
Bhaichung’s position
Bhaichung Bhutia’s prospects, who vowed to give ‘goals’ to goalkeeper Kalyan, have taken a bit of a hit for now. As footballers were not given the right to vote. Bhaichung has not yet gained such influence in state institutions. He can still get two states to propose and support. Only then can he submit new nominations starting from Friday. But it remains to be seen whether the goal machine will still compete if the goalie call-up meeting on Wednesday shows such an absolute majority.
Top officials from West Bengal, where Bhaichung played most of his football, are also on their way to attend Wednesday’s meeting. New nominations will start on Friday. It remains to be seen whether he will apply to be a presidential candidate again.
It is an ancient practice in corporate elections to invite the voters-members to parade in advance and show their muscle. So that a clear message goes out to everyone who is going to control the ballot box. For now, there is no doubt that the BJP is controlling the ballot box from behind in the upcoming All India Football Federation elections. It is better not to have doubts about the welfare nomination submitted with the approval of the party’s high command.
Because Kalyan himself is a member of the BJP party, has also contested the general elections. Gujarat proposed his nomination. Informed circles feel that there can be no stronger message than Narendra Modi and Amit Shah representing the state. According to sources, the former goalkeeper, who played for East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, got calls from the highest levels in various state organizations to express their support before submitting the nomination.