Harindra Shetty has replaced Vivek Ubhaykar as Chairman of Bangalore Turf Club which is facing extinction following the adverse verdict it got from the High Court which has fixed September 22 as the last day of its existence at the present venue. Though the general body of the club mandated the Managing Committee to take the legal route, Vivek Ubhaykar had to pay the price being the Chairman. Though his role was almost the same as that of other committee members, the feeling that change of guard may assuage the feelings of the Chief Minister may be the force behind the move. The internecine quarrel within the Managing Committee also was a major contributory factor. The Managing Committee members called for a Special Meeting on Friday to oust the Chairman. After brief resistance, Vivek Ubhaykar submitted his resignation as chairman paving the way for election of Harindra Shetty.
Harindra Shetty is perceived as a man who is more acceptable to the government given the fact that he was against legal recourse and wanted dialogue with the Chief Minister to solve the crisis that came about after the turf club signed its own death warrant as it were two years ago by signing conclusive lease deed which made it mandatory for it to vacate the premises at the expiry of the lease on December 31, 2009.

The club has two options at this point of time. One is opening channels of communication with the Chief Minister and bargain for more time. The Chief Minister has on his part told the Press sometime ago that he is considering giving alternate land to the race club. He has time and again stated that he was not against racing and he does not want the activity to close down. He wanted BTC to toe the line and act on the long time demand of the government to shift to a different venue. The BTC had all along resisted the move since the 60`s and each time the chief minister did not pursue the matter to its logical conclusion, the club felt that they had won their battle. The feeling that no body can displace them from the existing venue also gained strong currency. In the meanwhile, the turf club was getting a bad name due to the shenanigans of its members. Had the club opened up its facilities like the Mysore Race Club to government officials, politicians and allowed the public to use the race course area for walking like RWITC, the turf club at least would have earned the goodwill of people. And when trees were cut on the adjoining roads of the turf club, the club could have planted some greenery around the periphery of the race course if only to show its concern for nature and environment.

However, the turf club acted high and mighty which resulted in it losing its clout with the government. Racing is perceived as evil though it is the only legal form of gambling in the country. Cricket attracts far bigger betting than racing and the amount of money that is wagered on cricket is mind-boggling. But since this is unofficial, racing is the only area where moralists have been frowning, stating that the activity was detrimental to the well being of society at large.

The turf club on its part has also not enlisted the support of the media following the adverse High Court verdict. The turf club hasn`t briefed the Press about the enormous loss of economic activity and the effect the closure of racing will have on thousands of workers directly and indirectly involved with the sport. As such, public is not aware of the nature of the problem except the fact that racing activity may be shut down in the near future.

The second option that the club can exercise is filing a Special Leave Petition in the Supreme Court. As has been highlighted by legal luminaries, the outcome of SLP is hard to predict. If the club succeeds, it can prolong its stay for a year or two and plan out its future in the intervening period. The club reportedly wants to exhaust the first option before going for the court option, having been beaten badly in its endeavor in the High Court.

One hopes that in this hour of crisis, the Managing Committee and its members act in unison, enlist the support of all sections of racing community to save the sport form extinction in Bangalore. The club also needs to take the fellow turf authorities and the race horse breeders into confidence.