Setting the stage for a fierce contest in the BCCI elections on Wednesday, the Punjab Cricket Association has decided to nominate Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar for the President's post.
"The PCA has decided to give our nomination to Pawar at his request," PCA Treasurer G S Walia told PTI in Chandigarh on Monday.
He said now it was upto Pawar to garner the required support from amongst the 31 voters at the elections to be held in Kolkata.
PCA has decided to back Pawar, a representative from the West Zone, even though as per the rotational policy it is the turn of North Zone to field a candidate.
Meanwhile, the Haryana Cricket Association officials indicated that it would field HCA President Ranbir Singh Mahendra for the top job.
Though Mahendra could not be reached as he was on his way to Kolkata, HCA General Secretary Surender Singh said at the moment Mahendra was in the race from North Zone.
Singh said it was unfortunate that PCA was backing an outsider like Pawar, as it was the turn of North Zone.
Singh said Mahendra would hold further deliberations with the incumbent Jagmohan Dalmiya.
Walia, on the other hand, blamed Haryana saying that "HCA President Mahendra had not discussed the issue collectively at any platform nor he held any meeting or deliberations on the issue even though representatives of the two associations were present during BCCI meetings at Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata".
On reports that senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley was keen to contest, Walia said that there was no official word on that.
"We waited for a long time for his (Jaitley's) nomination as he was a fit candidate, but nothing came out," he said.
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