Sharad Pawar defeats Gopinath Munde to become president of the MCA

Sharad Pawar has been elected as the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association

NCP politician Sharad Pawar has seen off competition in the form of BJP’s Gopinath Munde and has been elected as the president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA).

Munde had seen his application to oppose Pawar rejected on Thursday as he was forbidden to contest on the grounds of “residential criteria.”

The 72-year-old who has previously served as the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) continues his association with the game as the head of the MCA.

Pawar had gained power as the president of the ICC in 2010, succeeding David Morgan of England. He lost power in the BCCI to N Srinivasan, who became head of he board in 2008 ending Pawars three year tenure as chief.

Gopinath Munde of the BJP had wanted to contest in the MCA elections in order to pull them out of Pawar’s shadow.

According to Munde’s lawyer, he submitted all the necessary documents to prove that he is a citizen of Mumbai and his lawyer, Nitin Pradhan, says that the bureaucracy within the MCA is the reason for his client’s loss.

Pawar has come under fire from Munde, who alleged that his counterpart played dirty. “This is a conspiracy against me. I am fighting for justice. There is a monopoly of Mr. Sharad Pawar in MCA. I want to fight against this monopoly and I feel that the president should give me justice. If he does not give, I will go to Bombay High Court,” Munde had said.

The MCA rulebook states that only a citizen of Mumbai can hold power within the organization.