Jay Shah stepped down as the BCCI secretary on November 30 to take over as the ICC chief from December 1, 2024. Shah, 36, became BCCI secretary in 2019. With his move to the ICC, the secretary position at BCCI is now vacant. According to the Times of India, BCCI will hold a Special General Meeting (SGM) at its Mumbai headquarters on January 12, 2025, to elect a new secretary and treasurer.
BCCI to Hold Special Meeting in January to Elect New Secretary, Treasurer
According to the available information, “there are no clear favourites for the post of the new BCCI secretary presently; Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) secretary Anil Patel could be a dark horse in the race.”
According to the rules, the BCCI has 45 days to hold a Special General Meeting (SGM) and elect a successor after an office bearer steps down. This means the secretary’s position must be filled by January 15, 2024.
“Yes, after the Apex Council Meeting on Thursday, state units were sent a notification about the date of the SGM, which is January 12 at the BCCI headquarters,” a state association president told PTI.
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After Jay Shah was unanimously elected as the ICC chairman in August 2024, Rohan Jaitley, president of the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA), and IPL chairman Arun Dhumal emerged as the frontrunners to succeed him as BCCI secretary.
In addition to the secretary, the BCCI will also elect a new treasurer. This follows Ashish Shelar’s resignation from the role after he was sworn in as a cabinet minister in Maharashtra’s new government. According to the BCCI constitution, serving ministers are not eligible to hold office-bearer positions.
Former Election Commissioner Achal Kumar Jyoti to Oversee BCCI Elections
Before Jay Shah, Amitabh Choudhary was BCCI secretary from 2017 to 2019. Other notable past secretaries include Anurag Thakur, N. Srinivasan, Niranjan Shah, Jagmohan Dalmiya, M Chinnaswamy, and Anthony de Mello, among others. The secretary’s role is the second most important position in the BCCI after the president. The secretary signs all contracts, handles correspondence for the BCCI, and has the authority to take action or defend office bearers and employees of the board.
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The 71-year-old Jyoti, a retired 1975 batch Gujarat cadre IAS officer, served as India’s chief election commissioner from July 2017 to January 2018. Currently, Devajit Saikia from Assam is performing the duties of the BCCI’s interim secretary, while the treasurer position remains vacant. It is expected that both the secretary and treasurer will be chosen unanimously.
“As the posts of Honorary Secretary and Honorary Treasurer have been vacated, the same are required to be filled up for the remaining period at a Special General Meeting by way of elections,” reads an official Board document which is in PTI’s possession. “In this regard, the Apex Council is requested to approve the appointment of Mr. Achal Kumar Jyoti, former Chief Election Commissioner of India, as the Electoral Officer to conduct BCCI elections at a Special General Meeting,” it added.
India vs Pakistan matches to be played at neutral venue
The Indian cricket board had to agree to Pakistan’s demand regarding the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 dispute under Jay Shah’s leadership. The Champions Trophy 2025 will be played using a hybrid model, meaning all India vs. Pakistan matches in ICC events hosted by either country will be held at neutral venues until 2027.
The ICC said in a statement: “India and Pakistan matches hosted by either country at ICC Events during the 2024-2027 rights cycle will be played at a neutral venue, the ICC Board confirmed on Thursday, 19 December. This will apply to the upcoming ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 (hosted by Pakistan), set to be played in February and March 2025, as well as the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025 (hosted by India) and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 (hosted by India and Sri Lanka).”
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