Srinivasan re-elected BCCI chief, but cannot take charge

A defiant Narayanaswami Srinivasan was, as expected, elected unopposed the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for a third year at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) here Sunday but he won't be able to take charge as per Supreme Court orders.

Srinivasan, however, can only take charge after the Supreme Court rules on a petition filed by Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma. The apex court will hear the case Monday.

Srinivasan was the lone presidential candidate put forward by the South Zone, from where he got the proposer and the seconder. The AGM was also chaired by Srinivasan.

Srinivasan told IANS that he was not taking charge as per the directions of the Supreme Court.

"Leave me alone ... I don't want to comment anything today," Srinivasan told IANS.

Srinivasan categorically said he was not taking charge of the BCCI as per the instructions of the Supreme Court but has asked other office bearers to do so.

"I have won unopposed but I am not taking charge. I have asked the new office bearers to take charge. I am awaiting the Supreme Court order. There are lot of things on me now," said Srinivasan.

Senior board member Rajeev Shukla, who was elected one of the five vice-presidents, said Srinivasan was elected unopposed for a third year in office.

"Mr. Srinivasan has been elected unopposed. The meeting was chaired by Srinivasan because in the last working committee meeting he was apprised that he can chair the meeting. He said he cannot take charge but asked other office bearers to take charge," Shukla said.

Srinivasan also made sure that his loyalists also get important posts, but interim chief Jagmohan Dalmiya, who bailed out the Board during a crisis period, was left without any plum post. Dalmiya had to be satisfied with being only the chairman of the North East Development Committee.

Baroda's Sanjay Patel, who diligently carried out the role of an interim secretary after the resignation of Sanjay Jagdale, will be the new full-time board secretary. Jagdale resigned in the wake of the spot-fixing and betting scandal in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Besides Shukla, who represents Uttar Pradesh, the other new vice-presidents are Sneh Bansal (Delhi) and Ravi Sawant (Mumbai).

Arun Jaitley paved the way for his Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) secretary Bansal to move in while Sawant, Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president, succeeds Niranjan Shah. Shukla replaces Vidarbha's Sudhir Dabir.
Jaitley and Shah, it is understood, did not want to be part of a set-up mired in controversies.

Haryana secretary Anirudh Chaudhary comes in as the new treasurer, replacing Sawant. Himachal's Anurag Thakur will continue as joint secretary.

The Supreme Court Friday allowed the BCCI to go ahead with Sunday's AGM and the elections but restrained Srinivasan from taking charge even if he got re-elected.

Srinivasan can only take charge after the Supreme Court rules on a petition filed by CAB, which is not recognised by the BCCI.

The CAB had moved the Supreme Court last Monday seeking to restrain Srinivasan from getting re-elected for a third term on the ground that his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan is facing a probe on the allegations of betting in the IPL.

Srinivasan's name also figures among those charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in a corruption case involving YSR Congress party chief Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy.