Calcutta: Dhyaneshwar Chand Agashe has lost his position of pre-eminence within the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA).
Now, it?s debatable whether Agashe ? who has challenged former Board president Jagmohan Dalmiya?s decision to keep him out of last month?s acrimonious Board elections ? still has a case to plead before the Supreme Court.
The apex court, of course, has put on hold its ruling till November 30.
Agashe?s exclusion from the AGM (after legal opinion was taken), it may be recalled, affected Union cabinet minister Sharad Pawar who was banking on his support.
As it turned out, the Maratha strongman got humbled by Dalmiya?s casting vote and Ranbir Singh Mahendra squeaked through 16-15.
According to details available with The Telegraph, Agashe is now only one of 25 members of the MCA?s First Board of Trustees. And, no more in the picture is the erstwhile managing committee.
Till Friday evening, when the Charity Commissioner (Pune region) passed his order, Agashe was the MCA chairman.
The Commissioner, apparently, has recast the constitution and the office-bearers will be elected from among the 25 trustees, 15 of whom represent the districts.
The MCA is registered as a charity under the Bombay Public Trust Act (1950).
Incidentally, even when he was the chairman, Agashe needed the consent of one of the two (High Court-appointed) observers ? one-time Union cabinet secretary B. D. Deshmukh or former Mumbai police commissioner M. N. Singh ? before major decisions.
Meanwhile, Balasaheb Thorve, who too wasn?t allowed to represent the MCA at the AGM (but definitely queered the pitch for Agashe), is upbeat after the Commissioner-authored developments.
That?s understandable.
Speaking from Pune on Saturday evening, Thorve said: ?I have the support of 18 trustees and, when the observers convene the first meeting (within 15 days), we?re going to elect the office-bearers. Those who want to come on board are welcome? It?s another matter if somebody doesn?t wish to??
Nobody from the Dalmiya camp was available for a reaction, but they must surely be rejoicing.
