Loyalists desert cricket czar Dalmiya, opposition seeks challenger

KOLKATA - With less than a month left for elections to the cash-rich Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), hectic parleys have started with some of president Jagmohan Dalmiya’s generals switching allegiance to the opposition which is looking for a big name to take on the seasoned cricket administrator.

From former Test captain and local hero Sourav Ganguly, whose family seems to have thrown its weight behind the dissenters, to ex Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and union minister of state for tourism Sultan Ahmed - a lot of names are being floated as Dalmiya’s possible challenger, but the opposition has so far failed to get an affirmative response from any of them.

“I have no idea whether they (the opposition) will fight. But so far, nobody has gone public with any statement that he is contesting against me or any other office-bearer,” a seemingly confident Dalmiya, a former president of world governing body International Cricket Council (ICC), told IANS.

“Probably, they are yet to find somebody,” said the ex Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief, who has held on to the CAB president’s post since 1993 except for a 19-month break from end December 2006 to the middle of last year.

Dalmiya had stepped down from the CAB top post towards 2006 end after being slapped with a ban by the BCCI then controlled by Sharad Pawar, but returned to power in 2008 by defeating then president Prasun Mukherjee.

Sources close to Sourav Ganguly said he was not interested in the top post this year, as he had his Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments in 2010. “He is not averse to coming to cricket administration later, and then the CAB president’s post will be the stepping stone to a greater role in the BCCI,” said the source.

Ahmed said he had been approached by various people, but was ‘reluctant’ in view of his political and ministerial commitments.

“People have been asking me to contest. But I am reluctant. I have no time to devote to CAB after meeting my political and ministerial commitments,” Ahmed, also president of Mohammedan Sporting club, told IANS.

Ahmed said he would have liked the octogenarian Chatterjee to contest, “But he is not willing as he is unwell”.

“Let’s see what happens. Things are not well in the CAB. It does not have a good rapport with the board. Eden Gardens is not getting international matches. We are trying to find a suitable candidate. We will take a decision in the next few days,” he said.

“It will be best if Sourav agrees to fight. But even if he is not there, we have his full support. His family is also with us.”

The dissenters, including members of the Ganguly household, have been holding regular meetings at a posh Kolkata club to decide their strategy and zero in on possible candidates for the posts of president, two joint secretaries, a treasurer and four vice presidents at the Annual General Meeting scheduled to be held end July.

But sources requesting anonymity said so far only former cricketer Sujan Mukherjee’s name has been finalised for one of the joint secretary’s posts if the opposition finally decide to join the fray.

However, a leading light of the opposition camp said: “Wait till Saturday. We have tapped some big people. We are hopeful.”

A big setback for the opposition is the unavailability of their erstwhile leader and ex Kolkata police chief Prasun Mukherjee - CAB president for 17 months from February 2007 till his defeat to Dalmiya last year - as he has been transferred to Delhi.

The splinter group led by former BCCI joint secretary Goutam Dasgupta that broke ranks with the Dalmiya faction has emboldened the opposition.

“Things are not in proper shape. There is rampant favouritism. Clubs close to the powers-that-be have things going their way during tournaments. The other clubs are made to suffer,” Dasgupta told IANS.

But Dalmiya brushed aside the allegations, saying “these people left us because they did not get the posts they were eyeing”.

Dalmiya also seemed unperturbed at the latest desertion of this group, which has been in and out of his fold during the past two and a half years.

“When you don’t have any powerful opposition, then there is fight in your group. This is the law of nature,” he said.

CAB joint secretary and staunch Dalmiya loyalist Biswarup Dey said the group was on a firm footing as it has fulfilled all its pre-poll promises - elevating Bengal to the elite Ranji division being the foremost of them.