Vijay Patil set to be elected MCA president uncontested

A couple of days ago, the Times of India reported that 63-year-old Sandeep Patil, who was a part of India’s 1983 World Cup-winning team, met MCA's election commissioner DN Chaudhary to seek clarification along with MCA CEO CS Nayak and former MCA president Ravi Savant. Chaudhary, however, told him that he had to quit being a commentator if he chose to take part in the MCA election. 

That brought Vijay Patil, owner of DY Patil Group, into the picture. Ashish Shelar, who is the state sports and education minister, backed him for the role to contest from Bal Mahaddalkar group of the association. Patil is a trustee and the president of the D.Y. Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumba and was instrumental in building the multi-purpose sports stadium in Nerul, where the IPL final was played in 2008. The DY Patil Corporate Cup is one of the most celebrated corporate tournaments in the country as well.

“Cricket has always been in my DNA. Cricket is something that we want to take forward. We will put in all our efforts to make sure that we move in that direction. It’s truly a humbling experience. Members across all (groups), various stakeholders, have supported my candidature, and I’m delighted to be a part of the association,” he said after filing his nomination, reported Sportstar.

“I feel greatly humbled because of the confidence that everyone has shown in me. It places a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. I will make sure that I’ll be able to contribute positively for the game,” he said.

According to MCA sources, a total of 38 candidates have filed nominations for 14 positions and following the scrutiny of nomination, the valid list of candidates will be published on Wednesday evening. There are multiple candidates for all the positions, barring that of the president, which means Patil will be elected for the role unopposed.