Contest yet to be confirmed

With just one day to go for the annual elections of the Board of Control for Cricket in India it is still unclear whether Ranbir Singh Mahendra will have any opposition or not. Sharad Pawar, the man who opposed Mahendra last year and lost by the narrowest of margins in an acrimonious election, has refused to confirm or deny his intention to stand for the post of president. The constitution of the Indian board allows for candidates to enter the fray even as the annual general meeting gets underway.

"I know there are quite a few well-wishers in the cricket board, but I am waiting for them to meet me first," Pawar is quoted as saying in the Times of India. Pawar, who was in Delhi meeting various heads of state cricket associations believed to be opposed to Jagmohan Dalmiya, former board chief, and therefore Mahendra, also said, "Till Wednesday I am busy with my ministerial work, but on Thursday (the day of the election) I may go to Kolkata."

In all this Pawar refused to give a clear-cut answer on the question of his contesting for the post of board president. "I have not decided yet. But that does not mean I am not contesting. I am waiting for the court cases to reach a solution, then we will see how things pan out."

At the moment there are several cases pending that could have a direct impact on the election. Netaji Cricket Club in Chennai, now more famous for the number of cases they have filed against the BCCI than for their cricket, had asked the courts to appoint a presiding officer to conduct the elections. In response, the Calcutta High Court has appointed Justice Suhas Chandra Sen, a retired judge of the Supreme Court, as the observer for this election.

There are other cases where the validity of certain members' representation of the state associations of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh are being questioned.

In fact, Dalmiya told the Press Trust of India, "I am totally confused. Press reports say that elections are on. But the elections depend on the outcome of the cases" .

In another development, the Madras High Court has restrained the board from holding the polls till 12.30pm tomorrow.

Another factor that could give Pawar reason for pause is that the next year (2006 AGM) will usher in the turn of the West Zone to nominate a candidate for the presidency. At the moment it is the turn of the North. Mahendra, who will complete one year as president tomorrow, has a chance to extend his term by another year. In case he does win the election, he could also seek a 12-month extension at the 2006 AGM.

Therefore, if Pawar is to contest, he has to be nominated by a state association from the North Zone. Last time around it was Punjab who put him up. "We haven't yet received a request (for nomination) from Mr Pawar, but if he does seek our help our administrative committee is going to take a decision," Inderjit Singh Bindra, president of the Punjab Cricket Association, was quoted as saying by The Telegraph. It has also been suggested that Pawar could seek nomination via Jammu & Kashmir. But Farooq Abdullah, the president of the J & K cricket association, is away in Scotland at the moment, and no concrete information was available on that front.

The one thing that is certain, however, is that the term of SK Nair, who has served as secretary of the board for three years, has come to an end. He is likely to be replaced by either Gautham Dasgupta, if the Mahendra faction wins, or Niranjan Shah, if the Pawar camp comes through. Dasgupta is currently a joint secretary of the BCCI while Shah is secretary of the Saurashtra cricket association.