Lalit Modi readies pitch for his son

Ostracised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India, former IPL chairperson Lalit Modi has planned to pass on the baton of the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) to his son Ruchir Modi, who has been declared president of Alwar district cricket association on Monday.

Elections in the Alwar district cricket association (ADCA) were held on August 21. However, for three weeks, officials were not ready to disclose the results. Usually, the results are announced on the day of voting itself. On Monday, the district cricket association announced that Ruchir Modi has been elected unopposed as ADCA president. Later, RCA secretary Somendra Tiwari also confirmed the news.

Ever since Ruchir Modi visited the RCA office in the last week of July, there has been speculations that Lalit Modi wanted to hand over the reins of the RCA to his son. However, at that time Lalit Modi had dismissed the reports. Ruchir himself had tweeted to deny the news. The BCCI had suspended the RCA immediately after it elected Lalit Modi as president, despite the life ban imposed on him by the BCCI.

While his election as ADCA president has belied his claims, but there is suspicion over the authenticity of the elections because of discreet and mysterious manner in which his nomination and elections was not disclosed for three weeks.

To keep everything secret and ensuring his son’s election, the ADCA was chosen for Ruchir because its secretary Pawan Goyal is a trusted lieutenant of RCA. There are rumours that to make him eligible for contenting election land has also been purchased in Ruchir Modi’s name because it is mandatory for a person to contest election in a district sports association to either have birth certificate or a land in his name.

The move is also being seen as Lalit Modi’s efforts to resolve his tiff with the BCCI. Having Ruchir run the RCA will not only allow Modi to pull strings indirectly, but also give back his association their voting rights in the BCCI.

With Ruchir’s entry into state cricket politics, it is now clear that in the near future many dramatic events will unfold in the RCA. Already, in Jaipur district cricket association, Modi’s friend turned foe Dr. Bimal Soni has lost president’s election against former Ranji player Mohammed Aslam whose brother has been active in RCA politics for over three decades and recently re-elected for JDCA secretary.