Leading industrialist Pankaj Lochan Mohanty today took charge as the president of Odisha Cricket Association (OCA) for the remaining period of a three-year term that ends in October this year. He was elected unopposed earlier on 15 February 2025. Mohanty received his election certificate from Electoral Officer M L Majumdar during the Special General Meeting of the State cricket body at Barabati Stadium, Cuttack today.

This will be his second term as OCA president. Chairman of MGM Group, Mohanty earlier headed the association from 2019 to 2022. He stepped down and became the vice-president to pave way for senior BJD leader Pranab Prakash Das, who was elected unopposed as the OCA president on 28 October 2022.

But Das tendered his resignation in December 2024 after the BJP government came to power in the State. Since then the post of the president was lying vacant and Mohanty was serving as the working president of the association.

After regaining charge as the president, Mohanty is reported to have said that the renovation of Barabati Stadium in Cuttack will be taken up as proposed by the previous BJD government. He also spoke on the plans for setting up of an OCA academy at Puri. But the future plans of the OCA president did not feature anything on improving the performances of Odisha teams in National competitions and the inclusion of Odisha players in the Indian and IPL teams.
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PHOTO: OCA president Pankaj Lochan Mohanty (Left) receives his election certificate from Electoral Officer M L Majumdar, in the presence of OCA secretary Sanjay Behera, in Cuttack on 23 February 2025.