BCCI mulls Anurag Thakur as president, Shirke as secretary

Less than 24 hours after Shashank Manohar resigned from Board of Control for Cricket in India's top post, Anurag Thakur and Ajay Shirke emerged as the frontrunners to succeed the Nagpur-based lawyer as president of the world's richest cricket body. Thakur, a BJP Member of Parliament and the sitting BCCI secretary, is in pole position to take over the reins of Indian cricket at the ensuing Special General Meeting, likely to be summoned in the last week of this month.

Shirke, a former BCCI treasurer and the president of the Maharashtra Cricket Association, has the right credentials as well as the experience to head the BCCI but may fall short in the numbers game as Thakur is likely to walk away with the 'BJP votes'. For the record, BJP, the principal ruling party at the Centre, can influence at least 10 of the 30 votes in the 31-member BCCI house where the Rajasthan Cricket Association remains suspended.

Shirke, a trusted lieutenant of former presidents Sharad Pawar and Manohar, has his backers in the cricket Board, but will have to work overtime to whip up the support of 16 units that translates into a simple majority in what appears to be a two-horse race. Thakur appears to have the numerical edge over Shirke, but the fact that the Board secretary could not host Pakistan's WT20 matches at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association ground in Dharamshala, his home turf, will weigh heavily against him.