Dalmiya could oppose Pawar

The tussle for control of the Board of Control for Cricket in India has taken an interesting turn with the possibility of certain north Indian cricket associations nominating Jagmohan Dalmiya for the post of chairman, in case Sharad Pawar, a cabinet minister in the present government, decides to contest.

The entire episode reeks of political machination, and the Times of India reports that the associations might take the extreme step in order to stymie Pawar and exploit a loophole in the BCCI rules. Though Dalmiya will shortly complete his third term - he has already been elevated to patron-in-chief, even if opponents have taken that to court - which makes him ineligible to stand for election again, the interested associations are planning to make use of a clause which states that he can be nominated from another zone.

Thus far, Dalmiya had been east zone nominee. And according to a BCCI executive quoted in the Times of India, "This hasn't been the convention, but there are no rules forbidding Dalmiya from being a north zone nominee."

Pawar, who has served on various sporting bodies over the past three decades, has been consulting his advisors on a course of action, with the BCCI meeting scheduled for September 29 in Kolkata. He is currently president of the Mumbai Cricket Association, and his desire to contest for the top post has been seen in some quarters as an attempt to thwart Arun Jaitley, president of the Delhi and District Cricket Association, who happens to be on the other side of the political divide.

Either way, Dalmiya's influence over Indian cricket is unlikely to wane anytime soon.