da gbg bet： Proceedings on the first day of the 72nd Annual General Meeting of the Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI), here in Chennai on Saturday, saw Jagmohan Dalmiya emerge as a winner at the expense of the incumbent President AC Muthiah
Santhosh S29-Sep-2001Proceedings on the first day of the 72nd Annual General Meeting of the Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI), here in Chennai on Saturday, saw Jagmohan Dalmiya emerge as a winner at the expense of the incumbent President AC Muthiah. In a keenly contested election for the premier post at the BCCI, the Kolkata based businessman got the better of Muthiah by 17 votes to 13. In the 1990s, Dalmiya was the secretary of BCCI and went on to become the President ofthe International Cricket Council (ICC).
“I have been the secretary of the board before and have also been thePresident of the ICC. I will work for the development of the game to thebest of my ability.”
After all the behind the scenes drama over the last few days, Dalmiya’svictory over a confident Muthiah was another sensational development.The politics were intense and the stakes high, as the Board game wasplayed out today.The other big wicket to fall was that of Jaywant Lele, who has been apermanent fixture as the Board’s secretary in recent times. In a closelycontested battle, Niranjan Shah from Saurashtra and Lele received 15votes each in their favour. With Goa having been disqualified fromvoting on the opinion of board legal advisor Nalini Chidambaram, therewere only 30 votes at stake, 29 of the affiliated units and one of thePresident. Lele who has previously spoken on the record about hisallegiance to Dalmiya, was shown the door; Muthiah casting thePresidential vote in favour of Shah.Shah, who has made little secret of his support for Muthiah, was visiblydisappointed and was quick to suggest that these things happen in ademocratic election. He cast aside any apprehensions about the’politics’ and added that the new President will be extended his fullsupport. Shah also said that winning and losing will all be forgottenand that all parties will work for the development of the game in India.Later talking to the media, an elated Dalmiya said that he wouldcontinue with all the good work the outgoing President had been doingover the last two years. Dalmiya also suggested that the services ofMuthiah would come in handy for the Board.”I have been the secretary of the board before and have also been thePresident of the ICC. I will work for the development of the game to thebest of my ability.”Muthiah spoke to the media in detail and said that no analysis isrequired of elections. He was of the opinion that winning and losing isa part of the game. He did not find much difference between theelections and the game of cricket.”I came in with a lot of confidence and I am going out with a lot ofconfidence,” he said.The Chennai-based businessman was happy about his achievements as theBoard President. He added that the fight against corruption in the gamewould go on, even though there has been a change among the Board’sofficials. Muthiah also pledged full support to the new President andthe administration.The other new officials elected today were Jyoti Bajpai, who becomesthe joint secretary, and Kishore Rungta as treasurer. The five currentlyserving Vice-Presidents, meanwhile, will each continue to remain intheir positions. For a change, that was a unanimous decision on a dayof high political activity.