A crowded battle for control of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) is taking shape ahead of its September 29 election, with politically connected candidates contesting several of the organisation’s leading positions and negotiations continuing among influential district associations, according to a report by The Times of India.
The vote will install the RCA executive for the 2026–29 term. With nominations now submitted, the field includes five candidates for President as well as multi-candidate contests for Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Joint Secretary and Executive Committee positions.
Five candidates seek RCA presidency
Jodhpur District Cricket Association President Dhananjay Singh Khinvsar and Churu District Cricket Association President Parakram Singh Rathore are among the leading figures in the presidential contest. Khinvsar is the son of Rajasthan Health Minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar, while Rathore is the son of former Leader of Opposition Rajendra Singh Rathore.
Former ad hoc panel Convener DD Kumawat, Rajesh Saraswat and Brij Kishore Upadhyay have also submitted nominations for President.
The wider contest has produced identifiable groups associated with Khinvsar, Rathore and Upadhyay. Three recently affiliated district associations could also influence the eventual result if the leadership positions are decided through voting rather than an agreed arrangement.
District representatives have significant electoral influence within the RCA. More than 20 District Cricket Association secretaries are reportedly staying at resorts away from Jaipur while discussions continue over a possible distribution of executive positions.
One proposal being pursued by district representatives would leave the two leading positions to be determined by the BJP leadership while allocating four other posts to district officials.
Khinvsar told IANS after filing his nomination: “We have not received any communication from the government; that is why we have come to file our nominations.”
Political families feature across executive races
The political connections extend into several other positions on the ballot. Pawan Dilawar, son of Rajasthan Education Minister Madan Dilawar, has entered the Vice-President contest.
Mohit Yadav, son of BJP MLA Jaswant Singh Yadav, is seeking two positions, having submitted papers for both Vice-President and Secretary. Ashish Tiwari, whose father Ghanshyam Tiwari is a Rajya Sabha MP, has similarly filed nominations for Secretary and Treasurer.
Beyond those politically connected candidates, the contests contain a broad field of district cricket administrators. Pinkesh Kumar Jain, Sumendra Tiwari, Manoj Kumar Sharma and Upadhyay are also seeking the Secretary position.
The Treasurer ballot includes Pinkesh Kumar Jain, Vishnu Prakash Agarwal, Sushil Jain and Rajesh Kumar Mathur alongside Tiwari. Govind Swaroop Upadhyay, Vinod Saharan, Ratan Singh Shekhawat, Sushil Jain and Saraswat have entered the Joint Secretary contest.
Dausa District Cricket Association President Shobhana Gurjar, who is a national-level shooter as well as an experienced sports administrator, is seeking an Executive Committee position. Rajesh Choudhary, Dharmveer Singh Shekhawat and Arisht Singhvi are also in contention for an Executive Member role.
Election enters its decisive stage
The nomination process closed on September 26, but the submitted names will not necessarily constitute the final ballot.
Election authorities are scheduled to scrutinise the nominations on September 27, followed by the withdrawal period on September 28. The completed candidate list is due to be issued after withdrawals close.
Those stages leave scope for the shape of the contest to change before voting begins. If the competing groups do not reach a consensus over the leadership structure, polling and counting are scheduled to take place at the RCA Academy in Jaipur on September 29.
