Andhra Pradesh finally elects a football body

After more than a decade of factional infighting littered with court cases, Andhra Pradesh, which has produced doyens of Indian football in the past, will finally have a governing body after elections of its office bearers were held under the supervision of the national federation.
A three-member Committee comprising Ch Ramesh (Sports Authority of AP), Prof K Ranga Rao, Vice President of Andhra Pradesh Olympic Association and Ghulam Rabbani, Member Executive Committee of AIFF conducted the elections yesterday here under the supervision of Justice (Retired) T Ch Surya Rao of High Court of AP as Returning Officer.
"While there was no contest for the posts of President, Vice-Presidents (three posts) and the Secretary-cum-Treasurer and Assistant Secretary, voting by secret ballot took place for three posts of the Joint Secretaries (for which there were four nominations," the AIFF said in a release.

Dr Mohd Ali Rafath, an IAS officer, was elected president while G P Palguna, who headed one of the two factions in the long wrangling, was made the Secretary-cum-Treasurer.
According to an AIFF official, who was involved in the electoral process, said that the polls were held under the Constitution of the APFA of 2002.
"Under the AIFF Constitution, we formed a three-member committee and appointed a retired High Court judge as returning officer to conduct the elections. The electoral college had 52 voters -- two each from 22 districts and eight other representatives of clubs, institutions, etc.," he said.

The AIFF called a meeting of the two factions in July 2010 and they agreed to hold elections within six months. But the bone of contention was the list of voters.