New Delhi: IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla resigned from the post ahead of the BCCI’s Working Committee meeting on Saturday, which may see the exit of President N Srinivasan in the wake of scandals surrounding the IPL matches.
The resignation of Shukla, who is also a Union Minister, comes as a severe setback to the incumbent President who has already been isolated by his team of officials, two of whom – Secretary Sanjay Jagdale and Treasurer Ajay Shirke – have already quit.
Besides the attack on Srinivasan and the demand for his resignation, questions were also raised over Shukla continuing in the post as IPL Chairman.
“I have decided to quit as IPL chairman. It is a decision which I was pondering over for some time. I think it is time to step down,” Shukla said.
Shukla said he took the decision in view of the recent controversies and in the interest of cricket. He also took into account the resignations of BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale and treasurer Ajay Shirke before taking the decision to step down.
“Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke resigned in the best interest of Indian cricket. I thought this is the right time,” he said.
Shukla’s resignation just a day ahead of the emergency working committee meeting in Chennai is bound to put more pressure on Srinivasan to quit the president’s post.
N Srinivasan’s exit as BCCI chief appeared imminent with senior Board members virtually forcing him to convene the Working Committee meeting in Chennai on Saturday where he is likely to step down.
Backroom negotiations were on to find an honourable exit for the 68-year-old cricket administrator who is said to be setting some conditions before he resigns after his isolation in the wake of arrest of his son-in-law and CSK Team Principal Gurunath Maiyappan over betting charges.
The name of former BCCI President Shashank Manohar, a non-controversial figure whom Srinivasan had succeeded two years ago, is doing the rounds to fill the gap as interim President.
The possibility of regular elections in September cannot be ruled out when the term of Srinivasan would have ended.
Now that the endgame is near for him, Srinivasan is said to be asking for acceptance of three demands, including his reinstatement if he comes out clean after the probe in Gurunath’s case, that he should represent India in ICC meetings and that secretary Sanjay Jagdale and Treasurer Ajay Shirke should not be in the new panel as they had “ditched” him.
But sources said that members were not in a position to accept his conditions, especially the one relating to Jagdale and Shirke on the grounds that they have not done any wrong and the next President had all the discretion to reject their resignations.
However, the demand that he should be allowed to represent the BCCI in ICC meetings could be considered as a concession to him.
As pressure mounted on him to quit, the BCCI has advanced the Working Committee meeting which Srinivasan had planned to convene next Saturday.
Earlier in the day, Vice-President Arun Jaitley and Thakur asked reporters to wait for a “significant” development in a day.
In an indication that the resignation might come tomorrow, IPL Chairman Rajeev Shukla said “some announcement is likely to be made. Wait for a day”. (PTI)