In a dramatic development on Saturday evening in Mumbai, former India captain Sourav Ganguly reportedly became the consensus candidate to become the next BCCI President. Also emerging unopposed were Jay Shah, son of Home Minister Amit Shah, as the next secretary and Arun Singh Dhumal, brother of Union Minister Anurag Thakur, as new treasurer.
The last date for nomination is today (14 October) for 23 October elections, but the new office-bearers are set to be appointed in their roles unopposed. 47-year-old Ganguly wasn’t the first choice for the top BCCI role. Brajesh Patel, who was being backed by former BCCI President N. Srinivasan, was being lobbied to become the next president.
However, according to Kolkata-based The Telegraph, Anurag Thakur proposed Ganguly’s name as a consensus candidate. The paper added that Thakur was sent to Mumbai by an influential union minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to oversee the nomination process.
Ganguly told PTI on Monday, “Obviously, it’s a great feeling as I have played for the country and captained the country. And I am taking over at a time when BCCI has not been in greatest of position for the last three years. Its image has got hampered quite a lot. It’s a great opportunity for me to do something good.”
Ganguly, who currently heads the Cricket Association of Bengal, has now become the first former Indian captain to assume the office of the BCCI president in its 91-year history.
A report by news agency PTI said that Patel had emerged Presidential candidate when Ganguly remained non-committal on campaigning for the BJP in the 2021 state assembly elections. However, when most of the state units opposed the ‘understanding’, things changed dramatically, added the PTI report. Ganguly had reportedly Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Saturday.
Ganguly was also in the news recently after he lashed out at Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan for his United Nations speech.
Ganguly and other office-bearers being appointed in their roles this month will effectively end the 33-month term of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.
In another development, forme India coach Anhsuman Gaekwad defeated Kirti Azad to be elected as a male ICA representative on BCCI’s nine-member Apex Council. Shanta Rangaswamy was earlier elected unopposed as female ICA representative.