Informal majority vote for N Srinivasan

A delayed election suits Srinivasan since the Justice Mukul Mudgal inquiry committee probing the IPL scandal has asked for a two-month extension. Most BCCI members expect the erstwhile president to get a clean chit, an eventuality that will clear the way for him to take the hot seat for three more years.

The members, however, denied that they were trying to manipulate the situation. In turn, they said that they were supporting someone who was popular in the board because of the role he played in increasing India’s influence in world cricket. “We think there’s no controversy. Some people are trying to pull him (Srinivasan) down. Srinivasan has changed the whole dynamics of the game by overhauling the ICC, and Indian cricket is the biggest beneficiary,” Orissa Cricket Association (OCA) president Ranjib Biswal, who’s also the IPL chairman, told The Indian Express.

Biswal elaborated: “The restructuring of the ICC revenue share ensures that the BCCI would be getting approximately Rs 4,000 crore per year till 2031. It is because of him the BCCI is the most powerful cricket board in the world. Without the change, India’s turn to head the world body would have come in 2027. Srinivasan turned the whole thing on its head.”

‘No alternative’

Biswal’s colleague in OCA, secretary Ashirwad Behera concurred. “There’s no better alternative than Srinivasan at the moment. So the members want him to stay.” Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) secretary Rajesh Verma spoke about the infrastructure and facilities upgrade. “Even the remote centres now have top-class stadiums and facilities. He has changed Indian cricket. As far as the court case is concerned, Srinivasan is innocent until proven guilty. Yes, he’s our (East Zone) man to lead the BCCI and Indian cricket.”

Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) was represented by its joint-secretary Subir Ganguly and he revealed that there was no division within the East Zone ranks as far as support for Srinivasan was concerned. “We’ve unanimously decided to support him. The BCCI politics sometimes makes some individual untouchable. Jagmohan Dalmiya became a superpower during his tenure. Now Srinivasan is enjoying that status. Also, all said and done, nothing has been proved against him yet. And as long as there’s no concrete evidence, the members will continue to back him,” said Ganguly.

“From state associations’ point of view, we’ve all been benefited under his stewardship,” he added. A negative report from the Mudgal Committee and subsequent court verdict might queer the pitch for Srinivasan, but most of the Board members believe he will be exonerated. One former president, however, hinted at caution. “I don’t read too much into today’s meeting. Let’s see how things shape up in the next few days. Don’t rule out surprise. September-end is still about three weeks away.”