NEW DELHI: As Jay Shah gets ready to chair the first meeting as ICC's independent chairman on Thursday, the Indian cricket board (BCCI) is grappling with uncertainty over his successor as the secretary of the board.
According to the BCCI constitution, the board must call for a special general meeting (SGM) once Shah has officially stepped down from the post. BCCI sources told TOI that there is no consensus over Shah's replacement yet and that administrators are reluctant to use up one year from their total six years of holding office in BCCI before going into the mandatory three-year cooling off period.
TOI understands that the board will also be waiting for the Maharashtra government to form its cabinet since incumbent BCCI treasurer Ashish Shelar could be in running for a ministerial post.
"The big issue is that the board isn't finding a strong candidate for the secretary's post who is willing to use up a year from his entitled tenure. The BCCI will anyway have an election next year. So, if someone takes up a post in BCCI, he will be on a unsure footing going into the subsequent term after next year's election. There may be a chance that someone could be elevated to an interim post," a BCCI source told TOI.
"These decisions have been taken unanimously after the Supreme Court-appointed committee of administrators left in 2019. An idea of an election for the post has also been floated," the source said.
It's learnt multiple queries have been raised by state associations to know how the board is operating. The associations have not even been communicated about Shah's resignation. There are a few names doing the rounds. Gujarat Cricket Association secretary Anil Patel and Delhi and District Cricket Association president Rohan Jaitley were thought to be in contention.
