Shashank Manohar of the Vidarbha Cricket Association takes over as BCCI president after he was declared elected unopposed at a special general meeting at the Cricket Centre in Mumbai.
The election was necessitated by the sudden demise of Jagmohan Dalmiya, who had a short term of seven months after his election in March this year.
Manohar was nominated for a second term by all full members of the East Zone. All the six units of East Zone unanimously proposed Manohar’s candidature for the president’s post. He will hold office till 2017. Manohar become BCCI president for the first time in 2008. He held the post till 2011.
Manohar, who was born in Nagpur on 29th September 1957, was the son of a former advocate general of Maharashtra. He himself is a lawyer by profession and gained prominence in the cricket fraternity when he headed the Vidarbha Cricket Association in 1996.
Immediately after election he announced new reforms in cricket body. Some of the main highlights are:
- Appointing Ombudsman to address all the conflict of interests issues pertaining to players, administrators.
- Attach a government investigative agency to look after on-field corruption issues as BCCI doesn’t have investigative powers.
- Appoint independent auditor to check how the state associations are spending the BCCI’s annual grants which range from 25-35 crore per association.
- Upload the BCCI constitution, balance sheet (already annual reports are uploaded), expenditures of over and above Rs 25 lakh on board’s website.
- Reviving National Cricket Academy as a Centre of Excellence, which will provide a supply line for Indian cricket.
- Getting women’s cricketers under BCCI’s Central Contract (matter already approved by Finance Committee.
- All the old records and documents will be available at the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai for the members to have a look whenever they feel necessary.
- Smooth organisation of ICC World T20 to be held in India next year.
- To abstain from casting chairman’s vote during any BCCI elections till constitution is amended.
- Not to use president’s discretionary powers to resolve any dispute as majority’s view will be taken into account.
