Speculations have gone berserk as the last date draws near for filing a nomination for the position of the next President of the BCCI. The BJP government is expected to have a major say on choosing the next set of office-bearers in the BCCI, as per a report in Cricbuzz.
While the report claims that a former international player might once again be roped in as the President, keeping the trend alive.
The BCCI is all set to appoint a new President and several other office bearers in their upcoming Annual General Meeting. The nominations are currently being filed for the roles, and the deadline has been marked on the 20th-21st of September.
The former BCCI President, Roger Binny, had to step down, citing his age. The former World Cup winner turned 70 this year, which is the age limit for an office bearer under the constitution. Ever since then, the BCCI has been chaired by an interim president, and vice-president Rajeev Shukla has been seen taking up the role.
The BJP government will supervise the selection of the next set of BCCI office bearers
This is an open secret that the BJP will have a huge role to play in the formation of the next set of office-bearers in the Indian board. Consultations with several appropriate authorities in the BJP-led central government will begin soon regarding the selection of the new BCCI Chief.
According to the norms set by the BCCI, to contest the elections, a candidate must be nominated by a state unit and be based on the list of state association representatives who are supposed to attend the upcoming Annual General Meeting of the board, which is expected to be held on the 28th of September.
The Party, which has a major say in the selections, had backed former India captain Sourav Ganguly back in 2019 and later went on to choose Roger Binny in 2022. This initiated the trend of appointment of former cricketers in the role of BCCI president.
Sourav Ganguly and Harbhajan Singh are among the big International names in the list of nominees
According to the recent trend in the BCCI, former Indian players have been picked to serve in the role of BCCI President. Among the current list of nominations, there are three internationals: Sourav Ganguly (West Bengal), Harbhajan Singh (Punjab), and Raghuram Bhatt (Karnataka).
The trend is evident across multiple sports in India, since other vital bodies are led by former stars, like the Olympic Association (PT Usha), Hockey India (Dilip Tirkey), and the All India Football Federation (Kalyan Chaubey).
Though the list also comprises some other names in the form of domestic cricket stalwarts like Jaydev Shah from Saurashtra and Mithun Minhas from Jammu & Kashmir, the speculation as of now surrounds the appointment of internationals.
Another name that holds large-scale importance among the nominees is that of Rajeev Shukla, the current vice-president of the BCCI. He holds a candidature from the Uttar Pradesh State Association and is among the major competitors for the role. It is worth noting that he has been part of the BCCI since the days of Jagmohan Dalmiya.
Vice-President and IPL Chairman, among other crucial roles that are still up for grabs
Rajeev Shukla, in order to re-contest for the role of BCCI President, has left the vice-president chair vacant. This is one of the most essential office-bearing roles alongside that of the IPL committee Chairman.
The BCCI has already cleared its stance on Devajit Saikia and Prabhtej Bhatia, the current Secretary and Treasurer of the Indian board, and has stated that they will continue in their roles. However, some doubts have been raised about Rohan Dessai, the joint secretary, due to the recent issues in his home state, Goa.