Sharad Pawar applies to electoral registrar to officially become SoBo resident, clears all possible hurdles to contest MCA elections in August. The NCP supremo is likely to run for BCCI President later this year, say sources
It’S almost official now. Sharad Pawar has, for all practical purposes, declared his intention to contest the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) elections later this year in the hope that a victory there will give him a shot at becoming the next chief of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Ready for battle: NCP supremo Sharad Pawar will formally become a South Mumbai resident from next week, clearing the deck for him to contest the upcoming MCA elections. File photo
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For the first time in his 46-year political career, the NCP chief and former BCCI president has submitted an application before the electoral registration officer for Malabar Hill area, requesting that his name be included as a resident of Malabar Hill and not Baramati.
Pawar Games: Sharad Pawar is hoping to renew his ties with cricket. FILE photo
The reason for this sudden request is not hard to gauge. According to MCA rules, only a resident of Mumbai can become a governing member of the cricket body. Pawar was disqualified from contesting the elections in 2011, since he was listed as a resident of Baramati and not Mumbai. This time, he is not taking chances. After all, soon after MCA elections are held in August, the most lucrative office in the world of cricket will be up for grabs — the post of the BCCI president. Pawar knows the power the job wields, having been BCCI President from 2005 to 2008 and then going on to become the International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman between 2010 and 2012.
On Friday, Pawar had indicated his intentions in a not-so-subtle manner, when addressing a press conference he said, “Right now, I am not associated with BCCI but I may be with some sports body in the future.”
Though he has been a resident of the city ever since he forayed into state politics in 1962, Pawar had never made Mumbai his official residence to maintain his grassroots-leader image. Till now, Baramati, the constituency he represented in the Lok Sabha, has always been listed as his official residence.
According to reliable sources in the electoral registrar’s office, Pawar has filled up Form No 6 for this purpose and listed his address as Bungalow No. 2, Silver Oak Estate, Bhulabhai Desai Marg, Mumbai-26.
The city election department, which received his application earlier this week, has now written to the electoral registration officer from Baramati for appropriate action. The Baramati office is expected to delete Pawar’s name soon and inform the Mumbai city electoral office accordingly, said a senior official, on condition
of anonymity.
In the meantime, the city electoral office has initiated another process to complete the formalities. Form No 9, as per the procedure, has been displayed on the notice board of the city collector’s office at Old Customs House inviting objections, if any, to Pawar’s name being included as a resident of Malabar Hill.
If no objections are received within seven days of the publication of the notice, his name will be included in the Malabar Hill electoral rolls, a top official from the
department confirmed.
If recent statements by Pawar are anything to go by, he is all set to contest the MCA elections to reach his ultimate goal of taking over the reins of BCCI once again.
Sources in the NCP told Sunday MiD DAY that Pawar was upset at the way the BCCI president N Srinivasan had backed Jagmohan Dalmia, an arch-rival of Pawar as the interim president.u00a0
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