Who after Dalmiya for BCCI? Messy political battle looms as Srini looks for a way back

Among the many attendees of the funeral of Jagmohan Dalmiya in Kolkata, N. Srinivasan, Sharad Pawar, Rajeev Shukla, Shashank Manohar and Anurag Thakur were the most notable names. As they were paying respects to the late Dalmiya, there were already discussions underway as to who will win the race to become the most powerful man in Indian (and arguably, World) cricket. The jostling was already underway. The procedure: A Special General Meeting to be called by Anurag Thakur “In BCCI constitution 16/d it is stated that in case of death of president, a notice has to be issued by BCCI Secretary for a special AGM. Within 21 days special meeting should take place where the interim president will be chosen,” a BCCI official told PTI, after Dalmiya’s demise. [caption id=“attachment_2440588” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Jagmohan Dalmiya. AFP[/caption] As per BCCI constitution, Thakur will have to announce the date for a SGM within 15 days, with a three week notice to member associations. The president will then be chosen at the SGM. But it is still not clear whether Thakur can do so considering the next date of the working committee will only be decided after Supreme Court gives its verdict on the petition filed regarding ousted BCCI chief N Srinivasan. The AGM which was scheduled for last month, if you recollect, was postponed indefinitely after some drama over Srinivasan’s presence in the meeting. East zone will also get to nominate the next President, as the incumbent Dalmiya represented that zone. Reports indicate that joint-secretary Amitabh Choudhary will be the candidate - a man who is seen as part of N. Srinivasan’s camp. Who is being touted? Jagmohan Dalmiya’s demise triggered immediate discussions as to who will succeed him as BCCI chief. It is worth noting that, speculation has been rife over the last few months that Dalmiya was not actually involved in the board’s functioning, given his ill health. Thakur, it was said, was calling all the shots in his role as the Secretary. The Telegraph, in its report on what lies ahead for BCCI, states: “An individual associated with the party in power at the Centre (Thakur is a BJP member of the Lok Sabha) usually stands heads and shoulders above the rest. Sharad Pawar and N. Srinivasan, Dalmiya’s predecessor as the Board president, have votes too. So, any aspirant would need to get the assured backing of the BJP and either the Pawar or the Srinivasan factions.” The reports goes on to state that Rajeev Shukla (Member of Congress and head of the IPL Governing Council) and Pawar are the current front-runners, and it’ll come down to who can strike the best deal with Srinivasan. Which could well mean appeasing Srini over his ICC Chairmanship and CSK’s presence. Shukla’s candidature would also require support from the eastern states which could prove difficult. Hindustan Times report that BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry and joint-secretary Amitabh Choudhary - both of who are seen as part of the Srinivasan camp - could also be in the reckoning, along with Pawar and Shukla. In fact, the East Zone has thrown their weight behind Amitabh Choudhary. “At least, four East Zone units will back Chaudhary’s candidature. Our contention is till 2017, it should be someone from the East Zone. If not, then one can’t rule out the possibility of an election. You can be rest assured if Pawar fights, CAB and NCC (kind of Dalmiya’s family club) won’t vote for him,” the senior East Zone official told PTI. [caption id=“attachment_2214892” align=“alignright” width=“430”] N Srinivasan (left) and Anurag Thakur - another battle looms. PTI[/caption] HT goes on mention that Pawar has already began making his moves, as he called for a meeting in Mumbai on Monday evening where “representatives from Saurashtra, Maharashtra and Vidarbha rallied around his candidature” after learning that former BCCI chief Shashank Manohar couldn’t be convinced. “We want someone with stature to be the next board president, and we strongly felt Pawar is the right man. Besides, we will not allow Srinivasan at any cost to take control of the BCCI again,” HT reported a source as saying. According to a source of the Indian Express , Srinivasan - who is ineligible to contest BCCI elections, per SC ruling - might back G Ganga Raju (vice-president from South Zone) or CK Khanna (vice-president from Central Zone) for the post of (interim) president to keep the seat warm until he gets the nod to get back to the main scheme of things. East’s vice-president Gautam Roy could also be a candidate considering he is the senior-most among the five VPs having first been elected at the Board’s Gwalior AGM in 1992. But Roy might not have many backers in BCCI. Similar is the situation of Delhi’s CK Khanna, who is the vice-president from Central Zone. The Times of India also reports that the political inclinations of the possible candidates will play a key role. The report states : “Thakur, who currently calls the shots in BCCI as the secretary, is one person who can garner all the BJP votes (8) should he choose to throw his hat into the ring. The young BJP functionary was keen to contest for the BCCI president’s post at the March AGM, but had to settle for his present position when the numbers didn’t add up.” Another aspect to this election is the President’s post of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) which has been left vacant by Dalmiya. While TOI states it will be Sourav Ganguly’s post in all likelihood, Indian Express mentions that Biswarup Dey (treasurer) will give him a good contest. And while Ganguly is seen to be on Thakur’s side, Dey is seen to be Srinvasan-loyalist, Express reports. At the end of it all, it looks like it is going to be an almighty struggle for the post of BCCI President. With the much-anticipated South Africa’s tour of India not far away, there is every chance that the focus will as much be off the field as it is on it. Jagmohan Dalmiya was seen as a consensus candidate when he took over BCCI in March. And that is exactly what could be missing this time around - consensus.