Mumbai: Embattled but defiant nonetheless, BCCI President N Srinivasan today declared that he will contest for the top post in the upcoming Board elections in Chennai on September 29.
“I am going to stand (for re-election as president). You are press, all of you are giving the numbers (in support and against me),” said Srinivasan after attending BCCI's marketing committee meeting here.
Srinivasan is bidding to get re-elected as the president of the BCCI for the third year running under the Board's two plus one year tenure rule after having completed two years at the helm.
Srinivasan has been under a lot of pressure since the spot-fixing scandal broke out and his son-in-law and Chennai Super Kings Team Principal Gurunath Meiyappan's name cropped up in investigations into betting during the Indian Premier League's sixth season held in April-May.
The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association's president stepped aside in June as the BCCI chief and let former president Jagmohan Dalmiya take over the day-to-day work.
However, he chaired the meeting of the disciplinary committee held in Delhi earlier this month that imposed life bans on cricketers S Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan following a probe by BCCI's Anti-Corruption and Sceurity Unit chief Ravi Sawani for indulging in spot-fixing in IPL6.
Srinivasan also said the report of south units holding a meeting in Chennai recently was not correct as the media got the venue wrong.
Two units of south zone, Goa and Andhra CA, did not attend the meeting, according to the reports.
“First of all the information is wrong. The meeting did not take place (at the venue) where media is saying,” said the BCCI chief.
“I don't know what bearing it has (on the upcoming elections),” he added.
As per the Board's regulations, it's the turn of south zone to propose and second the name of the president for the third year but the candidate they support can be from outside that zone.
There are talks that Srinivasan's predecessor Shashank Manohar is interested in staging a comeback. But an important Board functionary rejected the chance of the Nagpur-based Manohar to return to the helm.
“Shashank Manohar has said he's interested, but he is getting support only from one unit of south. What can he do?” the official asked.
Another key functionary said Srinivasan's backers are confident that he would get elected for another year as he has got the requisite support.
“The president is going to stand (for getting re-elected). He has got good numbers. We are confident and not worried. We are calling it as an election and it will be for one year,” he said.
