Ganguly to debut in cricket administration, Dalmiya unchallenged

Former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly's induction into cricket administration will be the lone point of interest in an otherwise routine annual general elections of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Friday with veteran Jagmohan Dalmiya set to retain his president's post unchallenged for one more year.

Dalmiya, a former Indian cricket board and International Cricket Council (ICC) president, is set to be elected unchallenged as the dissident group failed to put up any candidate for the elections. Elections will only be held for the posts of vice-presidents while the two joint secretaries and the treasurer will go uncontested.

For the opposition, not putting up a candidate against Dalmiya, was a tactical move, aimed at giving a year's time to Ganguly to prepare the ground for posing a serious challenge to Dalmiya - a former president of the International Cricket Council and Indian cricket board - in the CAB annual general meeting in 2010.

"Ganguly will represent Mohammedan Sporting in the CAB AGM this year as a club representative. It is too late now for somebody so new to CAB politics to fight against a strong opponent like Dalmiya. We are now looking at 2010," a leading figure in the opposition camp told IANS, requesting anonymity.

But the opposition will push for Ganguly's inclusions in one of the committees of the CAB. The CAB's annual profit of record Rs 149 million will also be discussed during the meeting.

Ganguly's backer Goutam Dasgupta, former joint secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), told IANS that Ganguly's expertise should be used by the CAB.

"He should be included in the technical committee or the cricket committee of the CAB. It will be a boost for the game in the state," he said.

Ganguly had publicly expressed his willingness to enter the Bengal cricket administration. But his backers felt that it was not the right time for him to contest against Dalmiya.

Meanwhile, Dalmiya said it was for Ganguly to decide whether he will involve himself with the CAB. "If he wants to come, he is welcome."

Dalmiya 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.

The former BCCI chief had stepped down from the CAB 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.