N SRINIVASAN, secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, was re-elected president of the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) at its 79th Annual General Meeting on Sunday. Not just Srinivasan, but all members of his panel were also elected unopposed with the AC Muthiah-led rival faction deciding not to contest these elections.
This will be Srinivasan's 8th consecutive year as TNCA president, and as per the existing constitution, he will have to relinquish office at the end of this term. Once a person has held office for two consecutive terms - or eight years - he becomes ineligible to hold any post in the TNCA in the year immediately after.
This bylaw came into effect in December 1987 through a ruling of the Madras High Court after MA Chidambaram had been president from 1952 through to 1988. It is widely anticipated that Srinivasan will attempt to have this bylaw amended to allow him to continue in office even after completing eight years. In order to do so he will have to convene a Special General Body Meeting and secure a 3/4ths majority of the 180-plus votes. In the TNCA, government recreational clubs, district cricket associations and some clubs that play in the Chennai leagues have voting rights adding up to more than 180 votes.
