State associations remain non-committal over implementation of Lodha panel recommendations

It’s been more than a month since the Supreme Court-appointed Lodha Committee came out with a number of announcements with far-reaching consequences regarding the way cricket was run in India by the BCCI, but the various state associations are still refusing to divulge specifics regarding their course of action in response to the recommendations, IBN Live reports.

With the Supreme Court giving the BCCI time until March 3 to let them know whether the recommendations of the three-member panel would be implemented or not and if yes, to what extent, the board has called for a Special General Body Meeting on February 19 to discuss the matter with the various state associations.

Some of the major recommendations that a few associations are having issues with are understood to be the one-state-one-vote policy, limitation of tenure for board office-bearers, setting the maximum age limit for office-bearers to 70 years and barring ministers and government officials from becoming office-bearers.

While the unrecognized Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) has called for the recommendations to be implemented as the state is not represented in the affairs of the BCCI as of now, other affiliated boards have been reluctant to come out with their views in public with the likes of Sharad Powar set to lose his post as MCA president as he over 70 years old and have instead left the matter with the BCCI to deal with.

“Whatever objections we have will be discussed in the SGM. The MCA (Maharashtra Cricket Association) is not a party to the court proceedings, it is between the BCCI and Supreme Court,” MCA president Ajay Shirke told The Hindustan Times.

Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA) president Jyotiraditya Scindia also echoed similar thoughts on the issue.

“The BCCI will make a blueprint which we will follow,” he said.

The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) meanwhile stated that they do have some reservations about a few recommendations that has been made but added that their thoughts will be conveyed directly to the BCCI at the SGBM next Friday.

“We have conveyed to the BCCI that the three suggestions are not possible to implement. But we will not go for litigation,” PCA Secretary MP Pandove was quoted as saying by HT.

“This is a confidential matter. We will discuss it with the BCCI in the SGM,” TNCA secretary Kashi Vishwanathan said.