Delay in MCA elections suits Srinivasan, keeps Pawar out

The Mumbai Cricket Association will most likely hold its elections in the first week of October despite the present managing committee completing its two-year term on July 15, president Ravi Sawant has said. As a result, the elections will now be held after the BCCI’s Annual General Meeting in September, one consequence of which will be keeping Sharad Pawar from attending it. Pawar has made no secret of his desire to return to the MCA and contest the election for president this year. Sawant said the two have talked about it but told Firstpost that Pawar had “never discussed with me about BCCI”. Pawar had been disqualified from running two years ago because his registered address was not in Mumbai but Baramati and MCA rules require all candidates to reside in Mumbai. The NCP chief has since had his addressed changed so he fulfils the guidelines and is the favourite to win the election if he runs. [caption id=“attachment_1002249” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] The delay in the MCA elections plays into Srinivasan’s hands. Reuters[/caption] Sawant admitted that the constitution of the state association does not expressly provide for the managing committee to continue in office after its term but said it allows for the existing committee to continue functioning until a new committee is elected. While MCA Vice-President Deepak Patil had written a letter to Sawant wanting to know why elections were not being called and questioning the legal standing of the committee to make decisions, Sawant said the postponement was unavoidable. “Elections have to be held in April but members were of the opinion that it will be affected by the IPL so let’s hold it after the IPL”. Then the spot-fixing scandal broke during the IPL and Sawant was appointed treasurer of the BCCI when Ajay Shirke resigned from his post. That meant additional work for Sawant. “The accounts of the BCCI should be completed by September 30. That is a statutory date. It cannot be extended.” Other complications have arisen because of the court case former MCA vice-president Ratnarkar Shetty has filed against the board challenging his five-year suspension. Shetty also wants to contest the election and the case has been filed in a fast track court but Sawant said the “judgement does not seem to be fast tracked”. On top of all this, Sawant said his administration was in the midst of revamping Mumbai’s club structure and they were still working on the details and had faced opposition that needed to be addressed. “There have been lots of teething problems,” he said. The restructuring would take about 50 days, which left October as the only option for the elections. However, a cricket official with knowledge of the situation told Firstpost that this arrangement suited the powers-that-be in the BCCI, especially N Srinivasan and Jagmohan Dalmiya, because there is no love lost between the pair and Pawar. It was Pawar who had Dalmiya charged with embezzlement and banned from the BCCI in 2006. And after the spot-fixing scandal, Pawar said publicaly that he would not have allowed such a thing to happen had he been president. The BCCI also recently amended its constitution to allow presidents a second term, which means Pawar can stand for BCCI president again. His interest would complicate the situation for both Srinivasan and Dalmiya, who are also eligible for second terms. Thus ensuring Pawar missed the AGM in September would be to their advantage, the source said.