EXCLUSIVE: BCCI AGM likely to be a hot affair this time

The news that the old war horses of the Board are back in the fray is an exaggeration. The mandarins who used to rule the board even a few years ago were made dormant by the Justice RM Lodha committee recommendations. But all of a sudden, things changed dramatically and the BCCI corridors are again witnessing more traffic, writes ETV Bharat's Sanjib Guha.

Kolkata:When it comes to the affairs of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the involvement of the top echelons of the country's political fraternity cannot be ruled out. Soon after the Supreme Court relaxed a few of the contentious clauses, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the BCCI — which is slated to be held on October 18 — has again become a much-talked affair.

The news that the old war horses of the Board are back in the fray is an exaggeration. The mandarins who used to rule the board even a few years ago were made dormant by the Justice RM Lodha committee recommendations. But all of a sudden, things changed dramatically and the BCCI corridors are again witnessing more traffic.

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As of now according to BCCI sources, Jay Shah is all set to continue in his post of secretary, but there's still a cloud over Ganguly's continuation in the president's post. Since there is still no clarity on the 70-year age cap (as recommended by the Lodha reforms), Srinivasan's entry into the board once again hangs in balance. In that case, Srinivasan may be BCCI's nominee to the International Cricket Council (ICC). In a hard bargain, Rajeev Shukla is likely to be back as Indian Premier League (IPL) chairman as the only face of the Indian National Congress. "Rajeev Shukla is one man who enjoys support from all factions of the BCCI," a source within the BCCI told ETV Bharat on the condition of anonymity.

As it has been for decades, BCCI was never free from the clutches of the political class. Be it Sharad Pawar or Arun Jaitley, the party that has been in power at the Centre always had a bigger say in who will manage the board affairs. Since 2014, the board has seen a change of guard with politicians affiliated with the ruling party started gaining importance. But then, the board has never been run by one political outfit. They have been hectic parleys and hard bargains.

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In such scenarios, the leaders who were seen firing salvos at each other in the parliament were 'friends' when it came to the BCCI. A similar situation is set to follow this time too. "The board politics is now back to where it was prior to 2016 when the recommendations of the Justice RM Lodha committee were adopted," the well-placed source said.

Now with almost a month left for the high voltage AGM, there are few names that are doing the rounds. Current BCCI president Sourav Ganguly is the most high-profile name among those. However, there is still room for more chop and change, as October 18 approaches further.