An ‘informal’ meeting of the Board of Control for Cricket in India became a show of strength for its president in-exile N. Srinivasan here on Sunday. Mr. Srinivasan, seeking to become the BCCI president for the next three years, got the support of 21 of the 30 Board members. Importantly, all the six units from the East Zone backed him; his name needs to be proposed and seconded by members from the East Zone.
A working committee meeting of the Board will be convened here on September 26 to postpone the Annual General meeting till the apex court, after receiving the Mudgal panel report on alleged corruption in the Indian Premier League, passes an order.
“There is no term such as an ‘interim president’ in the BCCI constitution,’” said Board secretary Sanjay Patel. He was driving home BCCI’s point of view that the Annual General Meeting, scheduled on September 28, needed to be postponed.
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“Currently, there is no president in the BCCI. Mr. Srinivasan has stepped aside from handling the Board’s day-to-day affairs as per the directives of the Supreme Court. The president has to sign the balance sheet before the meeting gets under way and, currently, there is nobody to do that. How can we convene the AGM?,” he asked. He disagreed with the view that ‘interim president’ Shivlal Yadav could sign the balance sheet. “The IPL did not come under Mr. Yadav since the Supreme Court appointed Sunil Gavaskar to oversee it. However, the IPL forms a part of the Board’s balance sheet. Mr. Yadav cannot sign it.”
The Supreme Court granted a two-month extension to the Mudgal Committee, probing alleged corruption in the IPL, on September 1. The apex court will next hear the case on November 10.
Mr. Srinivasan’s supporters are hopeful that he would be cleared by the probe panel. Hence, there is speculation that the AGM meeting could be convened late November or early December; there is a provision for the Mudgal panel to file an interim report on any BCCI official.
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In Sunday’s gathering here, Odisha’s Ranjib Biswal declared Mr. Srinivasan as East Zone’s candidate for the post of BCCI president.
“All the other five East members agreed,” said Mr. Patel.