As expected, Jagmohan Dalmiya has become the BCCI president for a second term. He first assumed office in 2001. Apart from Dalmiya, Anurag Thakur edged out Sanjay Patel for the key position of BCCI secretary.
Dalmiya's return to the helm of Indian cricket had looked improbable after losing power in 2005, though the Machiavelli of Indian cricket was the interim President in 2013.
There was no one to contest against the former BCCI chief, as he was the only one to have filed his nomination for the post. He stood unopposed, and ironically was also supported by both N Srinivasan's and Sharad Pawar's camp.
But, this is not for the first time that the body has witnessed such a thing. Shashank Manohar and Srinivasan too were elected unopposed in 2008 and 2011 respectively.
Initially, both the factions (Srinivasan and Pawar) were not sure of supporting Dalmiya, but they had no option left.
Dalmiya might have received a shot in the arm after the Supreme Court decided not to allow N Srinivasan from contesting the BCCI election.
"The day the Supreme Court barred N Srinivasan from contesting the BCCI elections, Dalmiya started to plan his next move, knowing full well that his reputation and credibility might make him a consensus candidate. He was closely following the developments," The Indian Express quoted a member from his state association as saying.
Had Srinivasan not been barred, it would have been an improbable task for Dalmiya to become the BCCI president for the second time.
Though Dalmiya stood unopposed, the fight for other posts turned out to be an interesting one, especially for the post of secretary, where Thakur pipped Sanjay Patel 15-14.
Interestingly, it was thought that the Pawar group would pit Anurag Thakur against Jagmohan Dalmiya for the top post, but they chose not to, as they did not have anyone to back Thakur from East Zone.
As far as other positions are concerned, it is Amitabh Chaudhary who has been elected as joint-secretary, while Anirudh Chaudhary is the treasurer.
