Rajeev Shukla's candidature for the post of the Indian cricket board's vice-president was on Friday declared valid, along with those of Brijesh Patel and M. Khairul Jamal Majumdar, who would continue as councillors after nominations were also declared valid.
Earlier, Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA) president Rohan Jaitley, whose late father Arun Jaitley and Shukla famously got along well despite having different political affiliations, proposed the name of the former Indian Premier League governing council chairman for the post.
Election for only three vacant posts was scheduled to be held during the December 24 AGM of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). However, now that there would be no contest, all have been effectively elected, barring a formal announcement from Achal Kumar Joti, Electoral Officer of the BCCI. Although candidates could withdraw their nominations on Saturday, that wouldn't be required now.
The post of vice-president fell vacant after Mahim Verma quit the post and returned to his home state, Uttarakhand where he was elected as secretary of the state's association once again. The term of the two councillors was one year and election was due for these posts.
As per the timeline announced by Joti, a former Chief Election Commissioner of India, a formal announcement of a list of contesting candidates would be made on Saturday, and that would effectively be the declaration of the results, which were originally to be declared during the AGM, in case of a contest(s).
Shukla, also a former secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA), was disqualified from voting at the BCCI AGM last year after the then Electoral Officer found him to have not completed his three-year cooling-off period. He was, however, never required to vote at the AGM as all office-bearers were elected unopposed after four groups within the BCCI joined hands to avoid contests, and see off the rule of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators.
Rohan Jaitley, who was elected president of the DDCA last month, proposed the name of Shukla, a Director in UPCA, and Verma, secretary of the Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU), seconded it. It is widely believed that Shukla controls CAU.
Interestingly, Shukla is a member of the Congress party while the Jaitley family's affiliation is with the BJP, and two parties are ideologically poles apart. But, historically, party lines blur seamlessly when politicians share the platform at the BCCI or at its affiliated state associations.
The name of Patel, representing the Karnataka State Cricket Association, was proposed by RS Ramasaamy, secretary of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association, and seconded by Adv. Shreejith V. Nair, secretary of the Kerala Cricket Association.
Avishek Dalmiya, president of the Cricket Association of Bengal, proposed the name of Majumdar of the Cricket Association of Mizoram, Sanjay M. Naik of the Mumbai Cricket Association seconded it.
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