JOIN USThe Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president N Srinivasan might face some embarrassing moments when the BCCI top brass meets here on Sunday to discuss various issues, including the IPL spot-fixing scandal.
The embattled BCCI supremo arrived here late on Saturday evening, after his attempt to meet his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan, who has been arrested by the Mumbai Police for his alleged involvement in betting, failed to materialise. Before landing in Kolkata, Srinivasan made it clear that he wouldn’t quit his post in the light of betting allegations against Meiyappan.
Many other BCCI bigwigs have also arrived here and had an informal meeting with Srinivasan during the dinner party hosted by former BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya on the eve of the IPL final. The likes of Board vice-president Arun Jaitley, however, are expected to arrive only on Saturday. Meanwhile, IPL chief Rajiv Shukla met Dalmiya earlier in the day for a long meeting.
Though it has been touted as a meeting of BCCI’s Tournament and Fixtures Committee, the agenda on Sunday in all likelihood will be centered around the struggles of Srinivasan.
The meeting assumes a lot of significance because a faction in the BCCI, led by Jaitley, is already believed to have started its moves to oust Srinivasan from the top job.
Srinivasan, however, has remained defiant, saying he has the support of the board. “A lot of BCCI members have sent me messages of support,” he told a TV channel. It was media that was baying for his blood.
The names of former BCCI President Shashank Manohar, Andhra Cricket Association President DV Subba Rao and Hyderabad Cricket Association President Shivlal Yadav have been doing rounds for the hot seat should Srinivasan step down.
But the lobby trying to push Srinivasan out is aware that the task ahead of them is not so simple as the Tamil Nadu strongman has wide support from the member associations. For the process to be initiated, 10 State units should write to BCCI secretary Jagdale demanding a Special AGM, and it further requires a notice of 15 days to convene an SGM.
But jettisoning Srinivasan is still a complex procedure because 20 state associations should vote against Srinivasan to remove him as BCCI president. Thirty units are affiliated to the BCCI at present.
Srinivasan needs just 11 associations to favour him to continue in the top job. He can continue in the job till September this year, when his two-year tenure comes to an end, and also has the option of extending himself in the position till September next year, should he get re-elected. As things stand now, Srinivasan has enough support to hang on, but certain BCCI honchos under the stewardship of Jaitley might try to force him to put in his papers, citing moral responsibility in the light of Gurunath’s actions.