Srinivasan set to be re-elected as BCCI president, no nomination filed against him
Despite allround criticism and Supreme Court’s directive, Narayanaswami Srinivasan is all set to be elected unopposed as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) during its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Chennai on Sunday as his was the only nomination filed for the top post.
Although, he won’t be able to discharge his functions till the apex court announces its final verdict on the case filed by Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma.
Srinivasan, who is vying for a third term as the BCCI president, has been subjected to intense public revulsion following the Indian Premier league (IPl) spot-fixing scandal that saw his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan being arrested and chargesheeted by the Mumbai police.
However, on Friday, after a conditional go-ahead by the SC, Srinivasan announced his intention to contest the elections reiterating his stand that he has done no wrong.
Since he can’t take the charge, it will be interesting to see if Srinivasan again requests the Cricket Assoication of Bengal chief Jagmohan Dalmiya to continue heading the day-to-day affairs of the Board till the apex court allows Srinivasan to assume office. But there is a possibility that Srinivasan might not extend all powers, including that of signing authority, to Dalmiya. In that case, Sanjay Patel, who is set to become the permanent secretary, will have to sign all the necessary documents in Srinivasan’s absence.
The Supreme Court, on Friday, asked “Why he is in charge (as the BCCI President) if his son-in-law has been charge sheetedIJ”, but Srinivasan and his confidants have gone ahead with their plan of retaining the power.
Anyone who wants to file a nomination for the post of president, he needs to get a proposer and a seconder from the zone whose turn it is to nominate the president. Earlier, when Goa Cricket Association and Andhra Cricket Association didn’t attend the unofficial meeting of all the State Associations from the South Zone, there seemed an opening against Srinivasan.
But no one came forward to grab the opportunity and, in the meantime the Tamil Nadu strongman and his supporters managed to bring the two Associations on board.
Now, with all the six Southern Assocations — Tamil Nadu CA, Andhra CA, Karnataka State CA, Kerala CA, Hyderabad CA and Goa CA — behind him, there is no chance of having another candidate to stand against Srinivasan.
Also the fact that none of the influential voices in the BCCI, including some of the political luminaries, took a stand, made it a tad too easy for him. Most of the state associations, who get a lot of sops in the form of annual grants as well as international matches, have no voice whatsoever and would toe the line.
His ability to keep the members happy has also gone strongly in favour of Srinivasan. A two-day pleasure trip to a plush resort in Mahabalipuram and a lavish party thrown at a five-star facility in the city on Friday night were testimony to the amount of confidence he has in his members.
Conditions for nomination
Who can be nominatedIJ
Anyone who has attended at least two BCCI AGMs and has been a principal office-bearer of the BCCI (president, secretary, treasurer or joint secretary); and has a proposer and seconder from the Zone whose turn it is to nominate the president. If two candidates fulfill the requisite criteria, then there will be a ballot vote with the candidate with a simple majority being named the president.
Why only boards from one Zone can nominateIJ
According to the BCCI constitution, a president has to be nominated by each of its five zones on a rotational basis. Since it is South Zone’s turn – from October 2011 to September 2014 — Srinivasan could have been safe for three years. But a recent amendment to the constitution last year meant that anyone who is proposed and seconded by a unit each from the zone that has to nominate the president, irrespective of his zone, can contest the election.