Even as a case related to the affairs of the All India Chess Federation (AICF) is pending in the Madras High Court, the Secretary of the Federation has called for a special general body meeting to elect new office bearers.
On Thursday, AICF Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan had issued a notice calling for a special general body meeting on 9 February in Ahmedabad to elect new office bearers for 2020-2023 and discuss appropriate matters with the permission of the Chair.
According to the notice, retired Supreme Court Justice Arijit Pasayat shall be the Returning Officer for the elections.
The poll will be held to elect one president, six vice presidents, one honorary secretary, six joint secretaries and one treasurer.
The notice said 13 state associations -- Bihar, Meghalaya, Gujarat, Delhi, Chandigarh, Uttaranchal, Punjab, Haryana, Karnataka, Nagaland, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Assam -- had requisitioned the meeting with an agenda to hold the elections.
The 9 February general body meeting will be the fourth one to be held in a short span of time.
"The earlier ones were held on 14 December, 22 December (adjourned to 28 December as directed by the Central government) and 28 December last year," Chauhan said.
Last month, at a general body meeting of AICF called by President P.R. Venketrama Raja it was decided to hold elections on 10 February in Chennai.
On the other hand, at the 28 December meeting held at Bhopal, it was decided to hold the elections on 9 February in Ahmedabad.
The AICF has split into two factions -- one led by President Raja and the other by Secretary Chauhan.
"The AICF is an all India body. The general body meetings have been held outside Chennai where it is headquartered. There is no hurdle in holding the meeting to elect the office bearers in Ahmedabad," Chauhan said.
Refuting this stand, Treasurer Kishor M. Bandekar said: "Normally general body to elect office bearers are to be held in the city where the AICF is headquartered."
Bandekar said the 9 February meeting called by Chauhan is not valid as it does not have the sanction of AICF President Raja.
"None of the people belong to Raja camp will be filing their nominations for the polls proposed to be held on February 9. The Madras High Court is hearing a case pertaining to AICF," Bandekar said.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)