Keep out Srinivasan from BCCI President's post, Sharad Pawar tells PM

The fight for the Indian cricket board's (BCCI) top post reached Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's doorstep on Wednesday when NCP chief Sharad Pawar met the Prime Minister to discuss the issue.

Sources said Pawar, also the Mumbai Cricket Association president, made it plain that he would brook neither the continuation of BCCI president-in-exile N Srinivasan nor any attempt by him to rule by proxy by installing his loyalist board secretary Sanjay Patel. Srinivasan has been barred by the Supreme Court from contesting the BCCI elections because of conflict-of-interest issues in the wake of the IPL betting and spot-fixing controversy. But Srinivasan will be able to retain effective control, his opponents feel, if he succeeds in getting Patel anointed as his successor.

Pawar has reportedly made it clear to Modi that he was willing to support "any candidate" apart from Srinivasan or his "proxies" or "cronies", a stance which at once opens up the prospect of negotiations between BJP government and the Pawar camp for taking control of the richest sports body in the country. Given that Modi is unlikely to back any candidate from the Congress camp, the meeting can throw up several interesting possibilities. Sources close to him said Pawar, a former BCCI and International Cricket Council (ICC) chief, is amenable to a politically non-aligned choice or someone who shares good equations with both the BJP and NCP, as the new BCCI president. "He is also willing to back any BJP candidate with whom he might share a good rapport," said sources.

Although Pawar told Modi that he was not very keen on returning at the helm of BCCI, he could step into the race as a consensus candidate, that is, someone who has got the majority support. It is understood that Pawar was "deeply unhappy" with the current circumstances and, hence, unwilling to let go of any option. As of now, the Srinivasan and anti-Srinivasan camps within BCCI command an almost equal number of votes, with the latter hoping to sail through with votes from institutional bodies Combined Universities, Railways and Services. Incidentally, the issue also figured in the conversation that BCCI vice-president Rajiv Shukla, an influential figure who will have a role to play, had with the PM.

The BCCI elections are slated for March 2 and the last date for filing of nominations is March 1. This time, it's the turn of East Zone affiliates of the BCCI to propose and second the name of the president.