Olympians bite the dust in Mumbai Hockey Association elections

MUMBAI: Olympians Gurbax Singh Grewal, Merwyn Fernandis and Joaquim Carvalho were routed by the ruling group led by Mangha Singh Bakshi who swept all the posts contested for in the tri-annual elections of the Mumbai Hockey Association Limited on Wednesday.

Fighting on the plank of development of the game against a bunch of “businessmen”, the players group were blown away by the electors who were clearly not impressed with the promises of a new clubhouse with swimming pool, residential rooms etc. thrown in by Gurbax and company.

Gurbax, who represented the country in the 1968 Mexico Games, mustered a measly 66 votes against sitting president Bakshi who secured 248 votes to retain his post.

Fernandis, a three-time Olympian and member of the last Indian squad that captured gold in the Moscow Games, fared as poorly by securing just 70 votes when contesting for the vice president’s post along with another former international, Satinder Walia (63), who too lost from the players’ panel.

Those elected as the vice-presidents were Bal Malkit Singh and Gurdip Singh Chandok, by securing 235 and 217 votes respectively.

Carvalho, the most vocal of the players’ lot, could get just 83 votes against incumbent secretary Ram Singh Rathor (229 votes), who too retained his post by a big margin. Balgovind Chokhhani also retained his post as treasurer.

Also bit the dust were Olympian Gavin Ferreira and internationals Ramesh Pillay and Raju Bagade all of whom contested for a place in the managing committee and were routed.

Only two former internationals won by contesting from the ruling group.

They were World Cuppers Mir Ranjan Negi (257) and Darryl D’Souza (240), along with two other former players Vernon Lobo (249) and Puran Singh (247), a former Western Railway teammate of Gurbax.

The lone woman candidate contesting from the players’ panel, ex-international Neena Rane secured only 72 votes and lost. The new committee will be in place till 2018.