BV Papa Rao quits for election

NEW DELHI: Policy adviser to the Chandrasekhar Rao government, Mr B.V. Papa Rao, has resigned to contest the election for the post of preisdent of the Archery Association of India (AAI). 

The keenly-fought elections are scheduled to be held on Saturday in the national capital. It is learnt that Jharkhand former chief minister Arjun Munda was fielded from veteran BJP leader Vijay Kumar Malhotra’s group. His candidature was rejected as he was not found to be the member of the Jharkhand Archery Association. 

Mr Munda was only a patron of the association. Prof. Malhotra was president of the association for 45 years and is opposing Mr Rao’s possible entry. 

Senior leaders of Indian Olympic Associations are also opposing Mr Rao because they worry that Mr Rao, who was founder of the ‘Clean Sports India’ movement, may turn out to be a bull in the China shop with his agenda of reforms in the Indian sports administration. It is alleged that the elections were due in 2016 but Prof. Malhotra group kept postponing it. 

Mr Papa Rao had served as secretary in the Assam government, and worked with the United Nations. He played a behind-the-scenes role in the Telangana statehood movement and was picked as policy adviser by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. “Mr Chandrasekhar Rao has accepted my resignation as he knows my field of interest,” Mr Papa Rao said.