Dr Jawad/Misbah panel defeats Lashari group in Gymkhana polls.

Byline: Mansoor Malik

LAHORE -- Dr Jawad/Misbah panel on Saturday defeated the outgoing chairman Kamran Lashari panel with a thumping majority in Lahore Gymkhana elections for 2020. Dr Jawad panel won eight out of 12 seats, while Lashari panel could get four seats.

The election was a high turnout event as 3,019 votes were polled out of total 5,500 permanent members (54.89 per cent).

The Dr Jawad panel candidates, who have been elected to the Committee of Management (CoM), are: Dr Jawad Sajid Khan (1,795 votes); Mian Misbahur Rehman (1,782 votes); Dr Ali Razaque (1,661); Mian Parvez Bhandara (1,519); Sarmad Nadeem (1,472); Wajid Aziz Khan (1,339); Ms Samira Maroof Khan (1,296) and Agha Ali Imam (1,261).

The Lashari panel's elected members are: Kamran Lashari (1,645 votes); Khawaja Imran Zubair (1,400); Ahsan Saeed Mian (1,279) and Shaukat Javed (1,235).

In the elected body meeting soon after the announcement of results declared in the early hours of Sunday, Dr Jawad Sajid Khan was elected as chairman.

Speaking to Dawn, Dr Khan said the club voters had overwhelmingly voted for his panel's vision that the elected body should serve only one year (instead of three years) as was the practice in all clubs across the country. 'The members did not want that a management committee that continued holding power for three years, be again given mandate for another three years,' Dr Khan said.

'Former chairman Kamran Lashari made no serious effort to reduce the CoM tenure and even ridiculed the senior members during his election campaign,' he added.

Answering a question about extravagant spending during the election campaign, Dr Khan said the CoM would seek general body's opinion and plan to reduce the amount of money and time spent on election campaign.

Reiterating his criticism about extravagant spending of club funds and artificial development and renovation, Dr Khan said he would go for forensic audit as committed to the club members but there would be no witch-hunt. Referring to his commitment of subsiding food at the club, he said subsidy would be wrong terminology and added the food would be available at 'cost-effective rates'.

He said creating of parking space for some 500 cars, in a phased manner, would remain a priority.

Dr Khan also said that he would also like to ensure that there should be no out-of-turn membership.

When contacted, Kamran Lashari acknowledged that his opponents had outclassed him in politics. 'I wish they will also outclass me...