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BCCI faces mass resignation as SC deadline looms

It has been learnt that here is no option left for the board but “to resign en masse” and make way for Justice RM Lodha panel to implement the Apex court orders in toto.

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BCCI Secretary Ajay Shirke and President Anurag Thakur
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Pushed to the wall by stinging Supreme Court warning on Wednesday to ‘fall in line’, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) members are nervously awaiting Friday’s special general body meeting (SGM) to be held in Mumbai.

According to sources in BCCI, there is no option left for the board but “to resign en masse” and make way for Justice RM Lodha panel to implement the Apex court orders in toto. “There is nothing left for us now,” said a senior board member from West Zone when asked about the strategy ahead of Friday’s SGM.

It has been learnt that BCCI is now divided in two camps — One led by president Anurag Thakur which has larger political ambitions and ready to go to any extent to hold on to their positions. The second camp is of those, including secretary Ajay Shirke, who have basically business background and don’t want to be seen as an obstruction in implementation of India’s highest court’s orders.

With Thakur currently travelling out of India and only likely to land in Mumbai on Friday morning, a hectic lobbying could well start soon after that. However, Lodha panel sources are sure that any delaying tactics could be seen as contempt of Court. dna has learnt that it has been conveyed to secretary Shirke that all decisions post July 18 Supreme Court order need to be taken back and “only new BCCI team would put in place the key committees regarding team selection etc”.

Whose selection panel is this?

There are talks going on within BCCI circles about how the five members of the new senior selection panel were picked by Thakur and CEO Rahul Johri.

It has been learnt that one of the selectors (close to Thakur) was told on phone that his form has already been filled and he need not send another application to the board. The selector (a former player) in question was surprised to hear this because “he called the BCCI official to make enquiry about whether ‘he should apply for the post of junior selector’?”

A senior board member said, “BCCI was clearly told by Lodha panel to not pick any new selectors. And with such inexperienced and novice selectors at helm, people are going to point fingers towards us.”

But when asked if the claim regarding this selector is true, he said: “I did hear about it. But then this is being done by a coterie close to our president. Only he can tell if this is true.”

The man who was in touch with this selector is the same who used to manage accounts of few Team India players, but somehow managed to convince the BCCI ombudsman that “he has no conflict of interest now”.

No escape route

Meanwhile, the Lodha panel will be closely tracking Friday's developments.

“There is no way BCCI officials can come back to the committee (Lodha panel) and offer some excuses, like state associations not falling in line or seek more time to implement the recommendations etc. If this set of officials can’t implement the Apex court orders then let there be a new set of officials to do the things correctly,” said the source.

It has been learnt that BCCI top brass has been told that all decisions taken after July 18 — election of Ajay Shirke as secretary, appointment of senior selection committee, authorising BCCI president and secretary to appoint next ombudsman and naming BCCI’s three officials (Thakur, Shirke and former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar) as representatives at the ICC — are not acceptable at any cost.

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