HP Chief Minister wants fresh elections in HPCA

Hamirpur (HP): Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh on Sunday justified cancelling the lease of lands given to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association, saying that "free and fair" elections should be held in the HPCA.

Talking to reporters at Sujanpurtira, 20 km from here this morning, Singh said only bonafide Himachalis should be made members and office-bearers of the HPCA. He said that once the fresh elections were held, the state government would hand over the control of the stadium to the new body. Singh said that the present body has become a family unit of former chief minister P K Dhumal, from the BJP. The Hamirpur district administration also took over the control of the Amtar stadium named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Meanwhile, the BJP lambasted the state government for taking control of the stadiums.