Bhubaneswar: Elections mean hectic lobbying. And if it the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) elections, the lobyying gets even more intense. If the sources in BCCI are anything to go by, it will be a tough fight for the president’s post this time. The contenders for the board supremo’s post are two heavywieghts in their respective fields — former India captain Sourav Ganguly and renowned anchor-cum-journalist Rajat Sharma.
Though the two names are enough to create a flutter at the onset, it is still not clear who will get the mandate when the BCCI’s long-awaited Annual General Meeting slated for October 22 (announced by the Committee of Administrators lead by Vinod Rai).
Despite the two names doing the rounds, there are certain factors that will determine fates of two heavyweights. According to Lodha recommendations, an administrator can serve the Indian cricket body for a maximum period of six years without a break, following which the person will have to go for a ‘cooling off’ period of three years.
This particular clause may actually tilt the scale in favour of the famous news anchor-cum-journalist Sharma at the expense of the former India captain Ganguly, who will have only eight months post-October as he has been the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president since 2014. Sharma only took over as the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) president July last year which makes him available for another five years on the trot.
“Yes Rajat Sharma’s name is doing the rounds currently and he may be one of the contenders for the coveted post,” a former top BCCI official, who is no longer eligible to be office-bearer, told Orissa POST on the condition of anonymity.
Going by the official’s version, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah (who has been associated with the Gujarat Cricket Association as president for quite some time and resigned only in last June) may have a big role to play in the run-up to the high-voltage AGM. “There are lot of states, especially north-east ones, were close to Late Mr Arun Jaitley for various matters. Now they may turn to Amit Bhai for advice and the ruling party in the Centre can have a big say in the BCCI elections too,” the official admitted.
It is also learnt that senior board members may prefer Sharma over Ganguly just for the ‘cooling off’ clause. “Ganguly has lot of time left to take over as the president. This time even if he becomes president, he will have to relinquish the post in eight months’ time which will make no sense. Whereas Sharma will have enough time to be there and settle,” he added.
Last but not the least, it is still early to predict who will take over the hot seat. However, it is almost certain that the ruling party in the Centre and Shah are expected to play a crucial role in the AGM scheduled to be held October 22.