Short on options, BCCI looks up to Ganguly for president’s post
CHENNAI : IT might appear too early, but all fingers in the BCCI are pointing towards Sourav Ganguly as president when a new regime takes guard after the new constitution is put in place. With most of the experienced administrators — past and present — ineligible because of the coolingoff clause, the former India captain is being looked at as one who offers an image makeover as the first cricketer to occupy the chair in a full-time capacity. Ganguly, who heads the Cricket Association of Bengal, is into his fourth year as administrator and third as president.
His term has got extended by a year because elections in state units were put on hold. He is eligible to contest the BCCI elections without taking a cooling-off break, provided he gives up his post in CAB. Ever since he made his entry into administration, shortly before the demise of former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya, Ganguly has been seen as an ambitious person in board circles. Having been part of the BCCI technical committee, cricket advisory committee, IPL Governing Council and the Lodha Commission, Ganguly has seen many sides of administration and is in the good books of many BCCI members.
Though there are not many factions right now, sources indicated that Thursday’s court order has made the road easy for Ganguly to head to the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai. “He is definitely eligible and ticks most of the boxes,” said a senior BCCI functionary. Express understands that Ganguly is ready to throw his hat in the ring, provided there are no opponents, something the former captain is looking to avoid. Though these are early days, most of the former administrators believe handing the job to a complete newcomer would be disastrous and Ganguly is a better candidate in that respect.
If he takes up a post in BCCI, Ganguly has to vacate it in two years since he would be completing a cumulative period of six years by then. It appears he is okay with the idea. Even board members seem to have no problem with it. They believe two years under Ganguly will bring stability. As per the new constitution, the BCCI won’t have a zonal rotation policy to elect the president and any representative of a state unit can nominate a candidate, which has to be seconded by someone else.
This means Ganguly need not bank on East Zone. With regards to the secretary’s post, Sanjay Patel’s name is doing the rounds. Patel, who took over as secretary after Sanjay Jagdale in 2013, is eligible to contest, having lost the elections in 2015. Another name heard is Jay Shah, son of BJP chief Amit Shah, and head of the Gujarat Cricket Association. venkatakrishna@newindianexpress.com