As preparations for the long-awaited Jullundur Gymkhana Club elections gather pace, Amit Kukreja has emerged as the Achievers Group's candidate for the post of Honorary Secretary.
The group recently announced the names of its candidates for four key posts even before the official election schedule has been declared.
Amit Kukreja has been associated with the club for more than two decades and apart from his role in the club, he is an educationist and businessman. He holds a B.Com and MBA degree and runs a sports manufacturing factory, he is also associated with the international cricket equipment brand Gray-Nicolls.
Before entering club administration, Kukreja had a successful cricket career. He is a first-class cricketer from Punjab and has represented Punjab in domestic cricket, also represented North Zone and Rest of India teams during his playing career.
His journey at Jullundur Gymkhana Club began in 2003 when he became a member of the club, later in 2006, he got his first opportunity to contest the club elections as an Executive Member. He served as an Executive Member for three terms before being elected Joint Secretary and later served as Treasurer and has been working as Junior Vice President for the last two terms. This year, he is contesting the election for the post of Honorary Secretary.
During his years in the club administration, Kukreja has been involved in several development works along with the club team and one of the major projects he worked on was the establishment of a squash court at the club. He also played an important role in reviving the club's swimming competition, which returned after a gap of nearly 20 years.
He is also considered the pioneer of the Gymkhana Premier League (GPL), which has become one of the club's most popular and widely followed sporting events among members.
Kukreja also proposed the need for a separate room for the Joint Secretary and this was followed by the development of an administrative block where designated cabin spaces were created for office bearers. He says these projects were completed through teamwork and coordination with the entire management.
Speaking about his tenure as Treasurer, Kukreja said he handled the club's finances during the COVID-19 pandemic, when monthly expenditure was around Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh and according to him, salaries of all employees were paid on time despite the difficult period, and the financial management was carried out in a proper manner.
He also said that although development charges generally increase over time, no such increase took place during his tenure, while another major initiative during this period was the installation of a solar power system at the club. According to Kukreja, the project has helped reduce the club's electricity expenses by nearly 50%.
Meanwhile, election activity at the Jullundur Gymkhana Club has intensified. Members of the Achievers Group, including Arvind Abrol, Satish Thakur, Gora, Vijay Khullar and Mandeep Singh Gujral, have announced Dheeraj Seth as their candidate for Junior Vice President, Amit Kukreja for Honorary Secretary, Harpreet Singh (Goldy) for Joint Secretary and Saurabh Khullar for Treasurer.
The club has not yet officially announced the date of its Annual General Meeting, however, sources said the AGM is likely to be held either on August 2 or August 9 and as per club rules, elections must be conducted within 45 days of the AGM.