Image Source: PTI
[Saba Sports News] Sitting vice-president Sanjay Naik, secretary Ajinkya Naik, and Bhushan Patil are vying to become the next president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA). The election, scheduled for July 23, follows the untimely demise of former president Amol Kale during the T20 World Cup.
Sanjay Naik, previously the secretary and now vice-president, has the support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Mumbai. BCCI treasurer Ashish Shelar, who has close ties with former BCCI chief Sharad Pawar, encouraged Naik to contest the election. Naik stated, “Today I was asked to contest by our group leader Ashish Shelar, from the Ashish Shelar-Sharad Pawar group. We will take late president Amol Kale’s legacy forward and work in the interest of cricket in the city.”
Ajinkya Naik, the current secretary, also claims to have Pawar’s backing. He emphasized his long association with MCA and his intent to continue Amol Kale’s legacy by completing the projects left unfinished by the former president. “I spoke to Pawar Saheb and there are other senior members and voters who came and said that I should run for MCA president’s post. I have been part of MCA for quite a while now and we wanted to carry forward pending work which our past president Amol Kale wanted to complete,” Ajinkya said.
Bhushan Patil, who recently contested and lost in the Lok Sabha Election to Union Minister Piyush Goyal, now aims to focus on the development of MCA.