Bhubaneswar: Industrialist Pankaj Lochan Mohanty has filed nomination for the president of Odisha Cricket Association (OCA).

The post of OCA president is lying vacant following the resignation of incumbent Pranab Prakash Das, a former minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader in Odisha.

Mohanty, the vice-president of the OCA, is the only candidate to submit his nomination for the president’s post, sources said.

According to the OCA, scrutiny of the nominations will be done on February 14 while the candidates are allowed to withdraw their nominations on February 15.

The new president will be elected during the AGM of OCA on February 24, said the cricket association.

Das had been elected as the president of OCA in 2022. He had resigned from the post in December last year.

Mohanty had served as president of the cricket association from 2019 to 2022.

After the resignation of Das as OCA president, there were speculations that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former MLA Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra might be elected to the topmost post in the cricket body in the state.

It is worth mentioning here that the OCA is now facing flak from several quarters for glitches in the floodlight system at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack that led to the disruption of an ODI match between India and England for around 30 minutes on February 9.