Summary:
Ludhiana: In an unexpected turn of events, Vikas Dua, a strong contender for the post of general secretary of the Lodhi Club, withdrew from the election race, clearing the decks for the crowning of rival and only other contender Nitin Mahajan. With all the developments, the total number of candidates contesting for eight different posts of the club’s general body has now reached 17. The official announcement in this regard will be made on February 17 after the election results are declared.In a surprising development on Sunday, a picture of both Mahajan and Dua along with cabinet minister Bharat Bhushan Ashu surfaced on the social media indicating of a compromise being struck between the contenders. Shortly after, Dua withdrew his nomination following which the returning officer declared only Mahajan’s candidature valid for the post of general secretary.According to the club members, this is for the first time that a general secretary has been chosen unanimously or by his opponent withdrawing from the race just before elections.Meanwhile, Rishamjit Singh Gaba, candidate for the mess secretary post, too was elected as the his rival Vibhor Garg’s nomination was cancelled on the grounds of eligibility. The decision, however, has not gone down well with Garg who has stated that he will challenge the decision in the court.In a similar case, the candidature of Ram Sharma, who was the strongest contender for the post of sports secretary, too has been rejected, but Sharma is being hailed by the club members as a hero since he not only took this decision in a positive way, but also thanked everyone for their support during the campaigning which started a month ago.Jagatveer Bittu, who had filed for the post of bar secretary of the club, too withdrew from the race, leaving only Sachin Goyal and Ajay Mehta in the fray..