BCCI to call for SGM in 15 days

Shashank Manohar is all set to use the discretionary powers that are available to him as president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India to call for a Special General Body Meeting of the Board 'in about 15 days' time' to hear the views of all the member associations on the Lodha Committee recommendations before making a final call.

The Board's constitution stipulates that a minimum of 21 days are required to call for an SGM. However, the urgency to act on the Lodha recommendations, in the backdrop of Supreme Court's latest directive and deadline until March 3, seems to have made the Board's top officials realise that they do not have time on hand. Manohar and the BCCI's legal committee, consisting of its PS Raman, DVS Somayajulu and Abhay Apte met in Mumbai on Sunday (February 8) to discuss how to go about things. Anurag Thakur has been asked to send out a circular to all members informing them of the SGM on a date convenient to most.

The intention is clear: Deliberate on the recommendations as soon as possible and revert to the apex court on what can be admitted and what cannot.

"On the face of it, a lot of recommendations don't make sense - for instance, having former cricketers mandatorily in the administration. Just because you're a good F 1 driver doesn't mean you can manage an F1 team efficiently ," a senior official told TOI."How will the one-state, one association rule work? By including seven north-east states? What kind of participation have they had in Indian cricket over the years?"

What happens to Maharashtra which has three state bodies, Mumbai, Maharashtra and Vidarbha? There have been suggestions from within the BCCI, coming from no less than a senior administrator like Sharad Pawar that "it is acceptable as long as the three associations are allowed to exist in the Indian domestic circuit as they have always been". Pawar feels Mumbai Cricket Association should retain voting rights as it is he oldest while all three associations should continue to feature teams in domestic cricket.

However, if such a move is accepted, "What will happen in Gujarat where Baroda Cricket Association is the oldest and has the richest history in the game? Gujarat Cricket Association loses its voting right?" the official said.

The BCCI is also wary about coming under the Right To Information (RTI) act, which now looks a serious possibility should the board act on the Lodha Panel recommendation that its registration under the Society Act in Tamil Nadu be changed. The board is clear that if they're forced to act on recommendations that don't logically fit in, they'll go back to the court.

There are many other recommendations that the BCCI is willing to accept readily, like the age-cap, removing zonal rotations, appointing directors and more. "But if a judge says there shouldn't be five selectors, just three, then we have reasons to worry."