Qaiser Mohammad Ali
Five days after Shashank Manohar turned 58, he was on Sunday elected unopposed as president of the BCCI for a two-year term. The actual tenure for the Board office-bearers is of three years, but since the demise of Jagmohan Dalmiya necessitated election of his successor, the period now left is two years.
Manohar had no opposition as he was the only one to fill the nomination form for the post by Saturday’s deadline. So, it just needed the BCCI’s general body on Sunday afternoon to formalise his appointment.
A lawyer by profession, Manohar, as per his reputation, was not keen on becoming BCCI president. But circumstances and the complex equations within the world’s wealthiest cricket body and out of it (read central government) ensured that a reluctant Manohar takes charge.
Manohar has the backing of his own group, led by veteran politician and Mumbai cricket president Sharad Pawar and BJP-controlled group overseen by union minister Arun Jaitley.
Manohar has an impeccably clean image – in his previous stint he would not accept the BCCI’s TA/DA etc, despite being entitled to do so. Many experts feel that the BCCI desperately needs persob with such qualities at the moment in view of the IPL betting-fixing court cases and the huge dent that it has caused to the reputation of the gane in general.