Don’t want voting rights, says Ajay Shirke

He has no problem with the Lodha Committee’s recommendation of ‘One State One Vote’ but former BCCI treasurer and current Maharashtra Cricket Association president Ajay Shirke on Tuesday said he was finding it difficult to accept the relegation of his unit to associate status.

The Lodha Committee, in its recommendations, has suggested a host of reforms including ‘One State One Vote’ which would mean one among three between Mumbai, Maharashtra and Vidarbha will retain right to vote with other two being relegated as associate members.

“Let me make it clear at the outset that I have no fascination for retaining my voting right. I am absolutely fine with the recommendation. I did not come to cricket administration to have a voting right and these things have never been my priority. There is no question of challenging this from my side,” Shirke, who is a member of the powerful IPL governing council, said Shirke is the first senior BCCI official, who has come on record to say that he agrees with one of the most landmark recommendations by the SC appointed committee. “Had I been enamoured by voting rights, I wouldn’t have resigned from BCCI treasurer’s post in 2013 when the IPL fiasco was at its height. I never thought that treasurer’s post is something that is important for me. But it baffles as to how an 80-year-old association be relegated to an associate member,” the veteran administrator said.