Former BCCI President N Srinivasan will be back in focus as some of the Board’s state units plan to prop up his name at its Special General Meeting on Sunday despite COA seeking Supreme Court directives on this issue.
The meeting will be attended by BCCI CEO Rahul Johri as none of the four members of the Committee of Administrators (COA) will be present. It has already been intimated that Vinod Rai will be abroad. It will be Johri, who will be briefing the COA on the details of the SGM.
The primary issue of the six-point agenda for the meeting is appointment of Board’s “representative or representatives to the meeting of International Cricket Council and/or similar conferences.”
Srinivasan has already reached the capital and is staying at a different five-star facility instead of the one where the SGM is scheduled to be held.
It is learnt that Srinivasan will be lobbying hard with the state units to push his name despite COA reminding them in their instruction sheet of not violating the Lodha Committee reforms as per the Supreme Court order.
The 72-year-old business magnet is a disqualified member and may not be allowed to attend the SGM but could be the man who would control the proceedings through his hardcore loyalists — joint secretary Amitabh Chaudhary and treasurer Aniruddh Chaudhry.
It will be interesting to see if the matter is put to a floor test as there might be stiff opposition from a number of state associations. Another question is the number of state associations which will be attending the meeting.
The likes of Vidarbha Cricket Association, which has already conformed to the changes as per Lodha reforms, may object to Srinivasan’s name.
It will be interesting to see what Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), which will be represented by President Sourav Ganguly and Secretary Avishek Dalmiya decide.
According to a well-informed source, the Srinivasan coterie will go all out to push his case and probably get his name passed and wait till the Supreme Court gives its directions on COA plea.
“Srinivasan and his loyalists (Amitabh and Aniruddh) have nothing to lose. His loyalists have had their wings clipped by the COA. They would pass Srinivasan’s name and then wait for Supreme Court’s verdict,” a senior state unit official told PTI.
The COA, in their FAQs have already categorically mentioned that any disqualified official cannot be a part of any BCCI meeting or be its representative at any other forum.
The five other issues that will be discussed at the SGM namely are:
- To discuss and decide on the status of changes and in ICC Governance and Financial models.
- To note the legal matters and decide issues thereof;
- To discuss events after the 2nd January 2017 and to take action/appropriate decisions.
- To discuss and appoint Ombudsman of the BCCI till the next Annual General Meeting under the Rules & Regulations of the Board.
- To take note of reports from various committees.