The MCA battle

Faisal Shariff

"Shouldn't a cricketer head a cricketing body?"

"Rubbish," says a Mumbai Cricket Association committee member, seemingly distraught with the notion that the media loves to promote.

"What has Ajit Wadekar done for the association in so many years?" he asks.

"He is a SBI (State Bank of India) officer and yet has never got a single SBI advertisement for MCA in all these years. What has his contribution been as vice-president of the association?" quips this official.

Wadekar and former Union defence minister Sharad Pawar are in the fray for the MCA presidency.

While Wadekar may not have exactly set the MCA ablaze with his feats, what are Pawar's credentials for the coveted post?

Critics say his father-in-law Sadashiv Ganpatrao Shinde, the late Test leg-spinner who made his debut at Lord's, cannot be his badge for election to the premier post in the richest cricket association in the land.

In its 71st year of existence, the MCA goes to the polls on Friday, January 19, to elect sundry office-bearers and its president. With 350 Ordinary members and 25 Associate members affiliated to the association, the skirmish is reaching its crescendo.

After Shiv Sena leader and Union Heavy Industry Minister Manohar Joshi completed two terms as MCA president, the Sena does not want to lose its grip over the influential body.

Ajit Wadekar -- former Test captain and ex-manager of the national team -- is the Sena candidate, backed by the Joshi group. Currently MCA vice-president, he was the favourite not very long ago, that is until Pawar threw his hat into the ring. This promptly led to a realignment of loyalties.

"Pawar will win the election hands down. There is no doubt about that," claims a committee member.

"He is a solutions man. He has always been a man to resolve issues of conflict. Where is Wadekar as a statesman? This is not a job where you coach 11 players and take the credit for their brilliance. You have to be brilliant yourself to win the faith of your wards. It is a more complex job," says this MCA official, obviously no fan of Wadekar.

There are some issues that the next MCA committee will need to resolve.

"We lose Rs 30 lakhs to Rs 35 lakhs a year because of the legal dispute with the Garware Club House (an organisation at loggerheads with the MCA despite residing on its premises)," says Nadeem Memon, curator of the Wankhede stadium.

Memon owes his allegiance to the Joshi camp. He had earlier opposed Wadekar's nomination because of an old disagreement, but now backs the former cricketer.

MCA honorary secretary Professor Ratnakar Shetty believes the fact that Pawar is president of the Garware Club House may work in the Nationalist Congress Party president's favour.

"He (Pawar) has promised he will resolve the issue amicably," says Professor Shetty who belongs to the Bal Mahaddalkar group, which, according to the MCA grapevine, is a front to dilute Wadekar's support base.

"Pawar was associated with the National Wrestling Federation. Kabaddi was included in the Asian Games because of his efforts," points out a MCA member, who is interestingly from the Joshi camp but believes Pawar would be a better bet as Mumbai cricket's next boss than Wadekar.

"He is also president of the Maharashtra Olympic Association and has been actively involved in promoting budding sportsmen," he adds.

This, however, is not entirely true. India's first individual Olympic medallist Khashaba Jhadhav's son had told rediff.com how he was given the cold shoulder when he approached Pawar, then Maharashtra's chief minister, for help.

"Don't come to me with your father's name," Pawar had told Ranjit Jhadhav, son of the wrestler who won a bronze medal for India at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.

Pawar supporter Shripad Halbe claims the former defence minister, "the astute statesman that he is, will be able to solve the dragging scoreboard issue as well."

The Mega Videomatrix scoreboard, installed at the Wankhede stadium for the Wills World Cup in February 1996, is a deal that went sour.

The scoreboard was hired at a rental of Rs 1.5 million a month on a five year contract with the State Industrial Corporation of Maharashtra, Sicom. The intention was to project television replays and player profiles, and to cover the cost through advertising support.

The scoreboard was intended to be displayed near Bombay's nodal Churchgate railway terminus. But the agency in charge of garnering advertising apparently failed to make much headway, and the scoreboard was never installed. The MCA is now stuck with a white elephant that eats into its revenue with every passing month. The total losses are estimated in the vicinity of Rs 120 million.

Will the summons by Board of Control for Cricket in India Commissioner of Inquiry K Madhavan upset Wadekar's apple-cart? But the man, once described as India's luckiest skipper, seems confident of a win.

If he does, he will be only the second cricketer ever to hold the prestigious office after Madhav Mantri, former India wicket-keeper.

One straw poll indicates Pawar could bag between 200 to 225 of the 350 votes cast on Friday.

Claims one member, "Politics is a funny game. Pawar's acumen is leagues ahead of Wadekar. Balasaheb's (Thackeray) dream of seeing the saffron flag atop the MCA will stay one."

We are watching. Till next time…

Design: Devyani Chandwarkar