MCA to oppose most recommendations of Lodha panel

The Mumbai Cricket Association headed by Sharad Pawar, is set to oppose most of the recommendations of the Justice Lodha committee submitted in its report to the Supreme Court last week.

"We are opposed to most of the recommendations and are one hundred per cent behind Mr Pawar," said MCA's joint secretary P V Shetty, when asked about the managing committee meeting convened on January 13 to discuss the implications of the Lodha panel recommendations.

"We will discuss everything and then put forth our views to the BCCI," said Shetty.

Among the sweeping reforms proposed by the Lodha panel which are set to be opposed by the MCA's managing committee are that politicians should not be part of the cricket set-up, no office bearer should be above 70 years of age and one state can have only one member and one vote in the BCCI.

Lodha panel has pointed out that in the BCCI not all states of India are represented and some states, including Maharashtra, are over-represented.

"Mainly attributable to their historic legacy, both Maharashtra and Gujarat have three Full Members, each representing parts of their respective States.

Maharashtra therefore exercises votes through the Associations of Mumbai, Vidarbha and Maharashtra while Gujarat fields the Associations
of Baroda, Gujarat and Saurashtra," the panel has noted.

As such the panel has proposed the policy of 'One State - One Member - One Vote'.

The recommendation that office bearers should be below the age of 70 and should not be politicians is also set to be opposed by the MCA headed by NCP supremo Pawar, who recently celebrated his 75th birthday.

After the managing committee meeting, MCA is also set to felicitate schoolboy wonder Pranav Dhanawade who recently scored a mind-boggling 1009 not out in an inter-schools game organised by the Association, the first such instance of anyone scoring 1000 runs in a single innings in cricket history.

MCA has already announced a scholarship worth Rs 10,000 per month to Dhanawade for a five-year period in appreciation of his stupendous feat.