Surendra Harmalkar wins MCA councillor election. (Source – Twitter/X)
Supported by the ruling party of president Ajinkya Naik, Surendra Harmalkar has managed to defeat Deepan Mistry to become a new councillor of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). In the elections, which were held on Wednesday, September 18, Harmalkar accumulated 185 votes.
On the other hand, Mistry only had 95 votes to his name, with one vote deemed invalid by the election officer. Furthermore, out of 375 eligible voters, only 286 voted, which has been deemed one of the lowest turnouts among the three elections across July and August.
The MCA has been through three elections ever since President Amol Kale passed away in June 2024. Ajinkya Naik had become the president after Kale, defeating vice president Sanjay Naik in July.
“Once again, the maidan, office, school and college club secretaries have demonstrated their positive influence in securing this election win. This marks the third consecutive victory for our group, and we remain fully committed to the growth and development of Mumbai cricket. The support of men’s and women’s cricketers was evident in this election,” Ajinkya Naik was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
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It is also interesting to note that the elections were forced due to Abhay Hadap becoming the secretary. Furthermore, Harmalkar also came forward to talk about his election and seemed grateful for the support that he has received from the MCA.
“I’ve been attached to the MCA for several years and have contributed in different capacities. I received good support from MCA president [Ajinkya Naik], secretary [Abhay Hadap] and other officials and that made this victory possible,” Harmalkar told Mid-Day.
Harmalkar has played office cricket for Sales Tax, even representing Maharashtra in the All India Civil Services cricket tournament. He succeeded Hadap, who has become the secretary after defeating Suraj Samat and was backed by former India batter Sachin Tendulkar.