Five-member committee to run AICF

Setting up of a five-member committee to run the All India Chess Federation (AICF), declaration that three officials including PR Venketrama Raja are no more office bearers and disaffiliation of three state associations are some of the decisions taken at the special general body meeting held on Wednesday, said Chandigarh Chess Association secretary Vipnesh Bhardwaj.

AICF will also send a letter to the central government, requesting to conduct the elections afresh. “For the first time in its history, a general body meeting of AICF was held using digital platform. The two-and-a-half hour meeting was attended by 24 out of 33 state associations,” said Bhardwaj.

“There is no provision in AICF rules to hold a general body meeting online. The meeting is blatantly illegal and so are the decisions,” stated RM Dongre, president, Fide Zone 3.7.Dongre said normally the general body meeting is chaired by the president and if he is not available then a vice-president does it.

But this general body meeting was not chaired by a vice-president and hence is not valid, according to him. AICF is split into two factions - one headed by Raja and the other by secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan. While Bhardwaj belongs to Chauhan’s camp, Dongre belongs to the Raja camp.

“The general body has decided to set up a five-member committee (Bhardwaj as president, Naresh Sharma as secretary and Bhavesh Patel, International Master Neeraj Mishra and Woman International Master Bhagyashree Thipsay as members),” added Bhardwaj.

According to Bhardwaj, the meeting decided to disaffiliate Bengal Chess Association (BCA) and All Marathi Chess Association (AMCA) mainly on grounds of financial matters and ratify the disaffiliation of All Rajputana Chess Association (ARCA).

Bhardwaj said the general body restored the affiliation of Maharashtra Chess Association and Rajasthan Chess Association and decided to ask Himachal Pradesh Chess Association and Manipur Chess Association to hold elections.