BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya passes away in Kolkata

Kolkata: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Jagmohan Dalmiya, who was admitted to a hospital here three days ago after complaining of chest pain, died on Sunday evening, hospital sources said. He was 75. The veteran cricket administrator was admitted to the B.M. Birla Hospital on Thursday night. “He passed away at around 9 p.m.,” CAB treasurer Biswarup Dey said. [caption id=“attachment_2440182” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya has died at the age of 75. AFP[/caption] Doctors attending to Dalmiya said on Saturday morning that the BCCI chief was responding to medicines and was in a stable condition. But they said he would still be under constant monitoring. Cricket Association of Bengal sources told the Times of India that “At 6pm in the evening his condition deteriorated and shortly afterwards he suffered a massive cardiac arrest from which he could not recover.” The BCCI will now have to nominate a president for the remainder of Dalmiya’s term. According to ESPNcricinfo, the BCCI’s BCCI constitution states that “the secretary shall within fifteen days convene a Special General Body Meeting to elect the President who shall be nominated by at least one Full Member from the zone which proposed the name of the President whose term was cut short prematurely. Such person who is so elected shall hold office till the next elections.” Born on May 30, 1940 in Kolkata, Dalmiya joined the BCCI in 1979 and quickly established himself as a new breed of administrator who was determined to develop the game commercially. Along with I.S. Bindra, Dalmiya helped bring the World Cup to India in 1987 and went to head the ICC from 1997 to 2000 and then the BCCI from 2001 to 2004. In a bid to retain control of the BCCI after his term ended, Dalmiya’s cast the deciding vote in a bitterly contested election to ensure his handpicked successor Ranbir Singh Mahendra triumphed over Sharad Pawar. However, Pawar roared back a year later to unseat Mahendra and Dalmiya was subsequently accused of embezzling money related to the 1996 World Cup and ousted from the Cricket Association of Bengal as well as the BCCI. Dalmiya fought back through the courts and eventually returned as CAB president in 2008. Two years later, the BCCI withdrew its case against him when the board removed Lalit Modi as IPL chairman. Three years later, Dalmiya took over as interim president when the Supreme Court asked then president N Srinivasan to step aside over the 2013 IPL spot-fixing and gambling scandal. In 2015, with Srinivasan barred from standing for re-election, Dalmiya was the consensus candidate as president, making a remarkable comeback to the center of Indian cricket a decade after he was pushed to the periphery. However, this time his tenure was affected by poor health and the board was effectively being run by secretary Anurag Thakur. Tributes came in thick and fast, including from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who took to Twitter to say: “My thoughts are with the family of Shri Jagmohan Dalmiya in this hour of grief. May Shri Dalmiya’s soul rest in peace.” Others include BCCI secretary Thakur, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Sachin Tendulkar.

The greatest sports administrator of India has passed away,an era ends. A personal loss to me & Indian cricket. @BCCI #RIPDalmiyaJi

— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) September 20, 2015

I knew Dalmiya Ji for over 15 years. He was a mentor to us all & a true lover of the game. His guidance & passion was immense. @BCCI

— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) September 20, 2015

More from First Cricket News

‘Pakistan can surprise India’: Former Pakistan cricketer’s bold prediction for Asia Cup 2025 showdown Misbah, Shoaib deliver Kuldeep, Abhishek verdict after India demolish UAE in Asia Cup: 'This is called intent'

Sad. Jagmohan Dalmiya ji passes away. He was a giant amongst sports administrators, a true lover of Bengal. On my way to pay my respect. RIP

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) September 20, 2015

Heartfelt condolences to the family & friends of Jagmohan Dalmiya. Had met him in June. little did I realise that it would be the last (1/3)

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) September 20, 2015

With inputs from IANS