Srinivasan looks to strengthen support base

With less than a month to go for the board elections, N Srinivasan, the BCCI's sidelined president, is working to strengthen his support base in the east zone, a region that could be important in the forthcoming election. During a personal visit to Guwahati and Kolkata on October 26, Srinivasan met with top officials from the Assam Cricket Association [ACA] and Cricket Association of Bengal [CAB].

India's Supreme Court had asked Srinivasan to step aside as BCCI president until the Justice Mukul Mudgal panel's investigation into allegations of corruption in the IPL 2013 were complete. Despite the court-imposed rider that he could not announce his candidacy until the end of the investigation, Srinivasan first visited the new Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati and promised to work towards allotting Test status to the ground. Before attending a charity event in Kolkata, Srinivasan also had a long meeting with CAB chief Jagmohan Dalmiya.

The developments are significant given that the east zone's role may be decisive in the BCCI presidential election. According to the BCCI rules, each of the five zones nominate a president by rotation and this year, it is the east zone's turn to nominate a candidate for three years starting with next month's AGM. Following an amendment of BCCI rules in 2012, an individual who is not from a specified zone can contest for the president's post with official support from two member organisations of that zone.

Srinivasan has thus been trying hard to ensure that all six members from the east zone are on his side to seal an unopposed election, despite their presence in a show of strength last month. While the Jharkhand State Cricket Association and Orissa Cricket Association are Srinivasan's trusted allies, Tripura Cricket Association has also assured its support.

This leaves Assam and the two votes of CAB and the National Cricket Club, which are both headed by Dalmiya. It is believed that Dalmiya, who has had a topsy-turvy relationship with Srinivasan, may have asked for a plum position for himself in order to support Srinivasan's candidacy.

Following the corruption scandal in the IPL last year, Dalmiya had stepped in to run the daily affairs of the board in place of Srinivasan for a short period. In the build-up to last year's AGM, he was also in the running for the post of IPL chairman, a position that was eventually allotted to Ranjib Biswal of Orissa, who does not share a rapport with Dalmiya. The position of the chief of new area development committee was seen as a consolation for Dalmiya.

Interestingly, while Dalmiya isn't fond of Srinivasan, the rest of CAB is backing the ICC chairman. This was evident when nearly every club affiliated with CAB felicitated Srinivasan during a charity event held for an NGO run by association treasurer Biswarup Dey.

A CAB insider confided that Dalmiya's role in the coming years may have been discussed during Sunday's meeting. Biswal and Amitabh Chaudhary, the Jharkhand association chief who heads the board's marketing sub-committee, have emerged as contenders for the secretary's post, and one of their vacated positions may be offered to CAB. The equations depend entirely on the Supreme Court allowing Srinivasan to contest the election.

Earlier on Sunday, Srinivasan praised the stadium in Guwahati and, in his capacity as the ICC chairman, assured ACA officials that he would do his best to help the ground get Test status. According to ACA secretary Bikash Baruah, Srinivasan also assured that he would impress upon the BCCI to allot a few IPL games to Guwahati.

"The ICC chairman is very impressed by the quality of the stadium we are building and described it as one of the best in the world. He inspected almost every nook and corner of the infrastructure, including the dressing rooms, water-treatment plant, back-up generator, galleries, pitch and practice ground," Baruah said. "Srinivasan also appreciated the location of the stadium and other requirements for a Test venue as well as IPL matches."

The last international game in Guwahati was held in November 2010 at the Nehru Stadium, when India took on New Zealand in an ODI.