By Baidurjo Bhose

New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS): The Committee of Administrators (CoA) have sent out a fresh set of clarifications with regards to the 9+9 years disqualification rule and cooling-off period in the context of eligibility of representatives to contest in the upcoming BCCI elections and state association officials feel that the goalpost is being shifted way too many times.

In the 10 point fresh clarifications, accessed by IANS, point five says if a person has completed 6 years as an officer bearer and 3 years as a member of the working committee of the BCCI (or any other combination of the above that totals to 9 years) the person isn't eligible to contest for the post of Officer Bearer or Councillor in BCCI.

Similary, point six says if a person has completed 3 years as an officer bearer in BCCI and 3 years as a member of the working committee in a member association consecutively (or any other combination of any 'posts' that totals to 6 consecutive years), the person has to undergo cooling off before being eligible for contesting the post of councillor in BCCI or member association.

But most interestingly, point eight says that if a person has finished 9 years (either as office bearer or committee member or combination of both) in a Member Association, the person is not eligible to contest the post of officer bearer or Councillor in the Member Association.

The above clarification means that if someone has been a member of the working committee for nine years, the person can no longer be an office bearer.

Speaking to IANS, a senior state association official said: "It's a circus where someone is jumping through hoops and someone is playing the jester. How can you keep changing rules after the game has started? They are doing this to the elections now. Last year they did this to the cricket season."

Echoing the sentiments, another state body official said: "This is so confusing. Someone is guiding the legal advisors to guide the committee in a haphazard way. They must realise that they are answerable to the Court. Under advise of some professionals who wish to perpetuate themselves in the BCCI, the CoA is committing significant errors of judgment."

Another state association official asked if states where elections had already been conducted would need to undergo fresh elections. "What happens to those states who held their election prior to the new clarification? Do they have fresh election?" the official enquired.