CHENNAI : When Sourav Ganguly made his first-class debut, the player he replaced in the Bengal XI was his elder brother Snehasish. As the BCCI president vacates his place at the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), a strong contender to fill the gap is the person who had to make room for him in that Ranji Trophy final at Eden Gardens in 1990.
According to news from CAB, Snehasish will not be vying for the president’s chair, which was occupied by his brother. With Avishek Dalmiya tipped for the top post, Snehasish is in fray to succeed him as secretary. If he gets there, it will be the older Ganguly’s debut as an elected office-bearer of a state unit under the BCCI.
If you thought this might lead to complications related to conflict of interest because the board president’s brother will be holding office in a state association, the book says otherwise. In the rules regarding this contentious issue in the constitution, it’s not mentioned that a BCCI office-bearer’s brother or relative can’t be an office-bearer in a state body.
The CAB already has another member of the Ganguly family in its apex council. Along with the former India captain, his late father’s younger brother Debasish was elected as treasurer at the association’s annual general meeting in late September. If Snehasish gets elected, he will form a new uncle-nephew pair in the CAB apex council.
Without a president at the moment since the BCCI chief had to relinquish his position in the state body, the CAB is busy preparing for the India-Bangladesh day-night Test. To elect another office-bearer, a special general meeting has to be held. That will happen only after the match gets over on November 26.
A former left-handed batsman who played 59 first-class matches from 1986-87 to 1996-97, 51-year-old Snehasish is not completely new to administration, although he has never contested in elections. For a year from 2007, he had functioned as the CAB’s assistant secretary, who was chosen by the elected office-bearers.
Sources in the CAB reckon that Snehasish’s experience as a former cricketer will enhance the profile of the association, which doesn’t have one in the apex council at the moment following Ganguly’s recent elevation to the top post in Indian cricket. However, it can’t be said with certainty that Snehasish will be elected, since there are more aspirants.