BCCI COA issues clarification on full member ouster

Mumbai: The BCCI Committee of Administrators (COA) has issued a clarification to what it describes to be as "misconceived" media reports suggesting that the Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) and the Gujarat Cricket Association have been selected as the only full members of the BCCI from Maharashtra and Gujarat respectively.

"These reports are misconceived and appear to be based on a wrong understanding of the document named "Memorandum of Association & Rules & Regulations of BCCI as finalized by the COA (Constitution) that has been uploaded on the BCCI website on March 18, 2017," the BCCI said in a statement.

Last week, it was reported that Mumbai, Vidarbha, Saurashtra and Baroda had lost their voting rights after the Supreme Court-appointed COA listed the amended memorandum of rules and regulations that will now govern the BCCI.

However, the BCCI has now sought to clarify the situation by drawing attention to the list of 30 names in Rule 3(a)(ii)B of its constitution, and that it does not refer to the names of associations but the names of the states.

The rule 3(a)(ii) of the BCCI constitution states, "In states with multiple existing members, the full membership shall rotate annually among such existing members such that only one of them will exercise the rights and privileges of a full member at any given point of time. The rotation shall be as per the policy framed by the BCCI."

On the basis of this rule, the BCCI insisted that full membership from Maharashtra and Gujarat will be rotated annually between the three existing full members from each.

"The full membership in Maharashtra and Gujarat is to rotate annually between the 3 existing full members from each of those States as per the policy referred to in Rule 3(a)(ii) extracted above. Accordingly, Mumbai Cricket Association, Maharashtra Cricket Association and Vidarbha Cricket Association (not necessarily in that order) will get to vote by annual rotation from the state of Maharashtra. Similarly, Gujarat Cricket Association, Saurashtra Cricket Association and Baroda Cricket Association (not necessarily in that order) will get to vote by annual rotation from the state of Gujarat. Maharashtra and Gujarat are also exceptions to the general principle that one association will have jurisdiction over the entire state."