Pawar in fray for prez post

Sabi Hussain

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 27

Sharad Pawar has finally made up his mind to contest the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) elections in the upcoming Annual General Meeting (AGM) to be held in Chennai on Monday.

According to highly placed sources, Pawar, a former BCCI and ICC chief, has made his intention clear to some of his close associates after reportedly being assured of support from the ruling BJP, which controls eight votes including three government nominees like Railways, University and Services.

It was Pawar’s meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday in the capital which paved the way for his candidature for the top post of Indian Cricket Board, sources told The Tribune. Pawar was waiting for the BJP to clear its stand on supporting a consensus candidate.

Pawar, though, is unlikely to confirm the development before filing the nomination papers on Sunday. It has been learnt that Pawar, along with his team, will be reaching Chennai on Saturday. Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has nominated the Maratha strongman as its representative at the AGM.

With the backing of former BCCI Chief Shashank Manohar and other anti-Srinivasan group members, Pawar also reached out to former BCCI and ICC chief Jagmohan Dalmiya for support and after getting assurance from the latter — who controls two votes of Cricket Association of Bengal and National Cricket Club -— that the former asked his supporters to reach Chennai two days before the AGM.

Assured of 11 committed votes, Pawar camp was only banking on BJP support. And now with two votes from Dalmiya also in the kitty, Pawar has the support of more than 21 members.

However, a section of BCCI members believe in case Pawar fails to convince at least 20 (of 30) members, he will not contest. “Pawar will not enter the fray if he doesn’t have the majority support. In case he doesn’t contest, the next president might come from East. That will bring Dalmiya into the picture,” said an insider.

Srinivasan apologises to Supreme Court

New Delhi: India Cements Ltd Vice-Chairman and Managing Director N. Srinivasan offered an “unconditional apology” to the Supreme Court for chairing a meeting of the Working Committee of the BCCI on Feb 8, despite a January 22 judgment finding him liable for conflict of interest. A Bench of Justices T.S. Thakur and F.M. Ibrahim Kalifulla accepted Mr. Srinivasan's apology but barred him from presiding or participating in any decision making at the AGM scheduled on March 2. The court made it clear that it was allowing Mr. Srinivasan to act as “medium” for TNCA for the sole reason of protecting the association's right to vote.