When will BCCI unveil its next president? And who will succeed Roger Binny? All you need to know about election process

The attention of the cricketing world, at least in the subcontinent, is fixed on the drama that’s going on in the Asia Cup, where India’s rejection of the post-match handshake with Pakistan after their Group A clash has led to a massive controversy.

Sooner, rather than later, the spotlight will return to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), who have been without a president since former all-rounder Roger Binny stepped down from the role three weeks ago.

And according to a report on Cricbuzz, the world’s richest cricket board could be naming its next set of office-bearers by the end of the month – 28 September to be more precise.

BJP to be involved in picking BCCI prez? 

The report, however, states that 28 September is the tentative date, and not a rigid deadline by which the board will have to announce Binny’s successor.

What it does add, however, is that discussions on the appointment of the next BCCI president will be taking place with the involvement of top leaders belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party – which has been in power at the Centre since 2014 with Narendra Modi as the Prime Minister.

The discussions will be taking place on Saturday, 20 September at the New Delhi residence of Home Minister Amit Shah, whose son Jay had recently served as the secretary of the BCCI and is currently the president of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The dates for filing nominations have been set for this weekend – 20 (Saturday) and 21 September (Sunday). The elections for office-bearers’ posts will then be held on Sunday, 28 September at the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting in Mumbai.

Who are some of the candidates in the fray? 

As per the Draft Electoral Roll issued by the BCCI electoral officer AK Joti, former India captain and ex-BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly will be representing Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), of which he is currently the president, while his former teammate Harbhajan Singh has been nominated by Punjab Cricket Association.

Additionally, Raghuram Bhatt will be representing the Karnataka State Cricket Association while Jaydev Shah and Mithun Manhas will be representing Saurashtra Cricket Association and Jammu and Kashmir Cricket Association respectively.

Veteran BCCI administrator Rajeev Shukla, who is currently serving as interim president following Binny’s departure, will be representing the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association. Also in the fray is Rohan Jaitley, son of the late BJP politician and former Union Minister Arun Jaitley.

Also Read | Why rumours of Sachin Tendulkar becoming next BCCI president are unfounded

However, the latest whispers in the Indian cricket circles suggest that the BCCI might opt for a former cricketer – a high-profile one at that – as its president for the third consecutive time after Ganguly (2019-2022) and Binny (2022-2025).