Srinivasan re-elected BCCI president

Defying intense criticism, N Srinivasan was elected unopposed as BCCI President for a third year during the Board’s AGM here on Sunday even though he will not take charge till further orders from the Supreme Court.

Mr. Srinivasan was the lone Presidential candidate put forward by the South Zone, from where he got the proposer and the seconder.

But he can resume his duties only after the Supreme Court gives its final verdict on the case filed against his candidature by the Cricket Association of Bihar secretary Aditya Verma.

Mr. Srinivasan’s election was on expected lines despite the fact that he is facing intense criticism on the issue of propriety after his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan was charge-sheeted in the IPL betting and spot-fixing scandal.

Mr. Srinivasan’s company India Cements owns Chennai Super Kings.

During the first half of the AGM, other top office-bearers were also elected unopposed.

After Sudhir Dabir, vice President from the central zone and his west zone colleague Niranjan Shah were removed from their positions, Ravi Savant (west) and Rajiv Shukla (central) were brought in.

Another political heavyweight, Arun Jaitley, relinquished the vice-President’s position due to his political commitments and was replaced by his Delhi and Districts Cricket Association (DDCA) colleague Sneh Bansal.

While Mr. Dabir is considered close to former BCCI chief and Mr. Srinivasan’s adversary Shashank Manohar, Mr. Shah is perceived to be a confidante of another former Board head Sharad Pawar, someone who harboured the ambition to upset Mr. Srinivasan’s applecart.

Haryana Cricket Association chief Anirudh Chaudhary was elected as Treasurer, a post which was to become vacant after Savant was formally made vice-president.

Earlier, a defiant N Srinivasan, who braved scathing criticism on issues of propriety, arrived to attend the Board’s annual general meeting here on Sunday.

The Tamil Nadu strongman, who is vying for his third term as the President of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president, was accompanied by his loyalists when he arrived at the hotel where the meeting took place.

Mr. Srinivasan, who was forced to step aside in the wake of the IPL spot-fixing scandal, avoided speaking to the waiting media-persons and walked into the hotel lobby.

Mr. Srinivasan was the lone presidential candidate put forward by the South Zone, from where he got the proposed and seconded.

Despite the Supreme Court making some serious observations like how he had continued being the president despite his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan being charge-sheeted by Mumbai Police in the IPL betting scandal, Mr. Srinivasan and his confidants have gone ahead with their plan of retaining power.

The Hindu