N Srinivasan to be absent from BCCI's SGM scheduled for Sunday to elect new president

N Srinivasan’s absence leaves the path clear for Shashank Manohar to be elected as the BCCI president

N Srinivasan, former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will not be present at the Special General Meeting (SGM) scheduled for Sunday in Mumbai, ESPNCricinfo reports. His absence leaves the path clear for Shashank Manohar to be elected unanimously as the new board president at the SGM.

"My authorisation has already gone. I'm attending definitely. Srinivasan is not attending," replied Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) vice-president PS Raman when asked by reporters whether the TNCA president would be using his post to make his presence felt at the meeting.

Srinivasan’s presence had forced the Working Committee Meeting called for in August to be abandoned as members objected to it citing legal repercussions. The Supreme court is set to decide on Monday whether Srinivasan can attend the meetings of the BCCI and the Chennai-based businessman is seemingly ready to play a waiting game. The apex court will also decide on Srinivasan’s charges of perjury against Anurag Thakur.

The SGM was called for on October 4 following the demise of Board president Jagmohan Dalmiya on September 20. Former president Shashank Manohar is the frontrunner for the president’s post as he has the backing of the powerful Arun Jaitley-Anurag Thakur combine in the BCCI. Thakur, the BCCI secretary, had in fact stated that the Vidarbha Cricket Association strongman was the only candidate in the running for the vacant post.

"Shashank Manohar is the only candidate for the BCCI president's post. A decision regarding it will be taken in BCCI's SGM in Mumbai on October 4," Thakur had said.

Despite the election seeming to a done affair, senior officials were sceptical that Srinivasan could pursue the legal route to jeopardise Manohar’s candidature as he had publically stated his displeasure after an alleged link between former IPL chief Lalit Modi and Manohar was reported by The Indian Express.

He had also attempted forging an alliance with Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) president Sharad Pawar to counter the Jaitley-Thakur combine but was left high and dry, as some of Pawar's allies in the West Zone were against forging any alliance with the tainted businessman.

A source close to N Srinivasan suggested that Srinivasan has now taken the decision to not interfere in the BCCI’s affairs until the legal proceedings against him do not reach a conclusion.

"He has learnt to remain detached from the goings on in the BCCI," an insider from Srinivasan's camp said. "He is anyway going to be out of the BCCI scene until 2017, so it doesn't matter to him who becomes president. At the moment, he's focused on his cement business and working on bringing his golfing handicap down."