Dalmiya's heart attack calls for tough decisions by him & BCCI

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The illness

• Jagmohan Dalmiya, 74, has been reportedly suffering from the effects of old age

• He took over as BCCI president in March, but his colleagues have said he\'s been incoherent at meetings

• He suffered a heart attack on 17 September and is admitted at BM Birla Hospital, Kolkata

The consequences

• The BCCI is still reeling from the IPL betting-fixing taint, and needs strong leadership

• Dalmiya has been unable to provide that, and there have been voices in the BCCI asking for his removal

• The ideal scenario would be for him to step away, and for an untainted leader to complete his term

With his sharp intellect and presence of mind, Jagmohan Dalmiya deftly avoided many potentially explosive situations. But his health now poses more than one question to an already administratively-crippled BCCI, which he heads.

As if it was not enough for 75-year-old Dalmiya to bear the murmurs within the BCCI that he should be replaced as president, a heart attack on 17 September sent him to Kolkata's BM Birla Hospital. He underwent coronary angiography.

According to a hospital bulletin issued at 10.30 am on 18 September, Dalmiya was "clinically better, with improvement in ECG". He was being monitored by doctors and family members, including his son Abhishek, who has lately been assisting Dalmiya in managing BCCI affairs.

A liability on the Board?

However, some important questions, which have been quietly raised within the BCCI corridors, are now expected to be asked loudly.

Why is Dalmiya dragging himself on when his mind and body are not supporting his spirit? Why is he embarrassing himself at this age? After all, he has achieved everything in cricket administration. What else does he want to achieve?

There are more such posers based on Dalmiya's faux pas during Board meetings held recently.

Dalmiya's illness is directly affecting the BCCI, which is anyway besieged by a spate of court cases, despite being the wealthiest cricket body in the world, worth over Rs 4,000 crore.

The IPL betting-fixing blot is one of the darkest on the BCCI's face, and at this juncture, the clean-up needed a fit Dalmiya. With his sharp brain, he could have found a way out of the mess that has engulfed the Board.

But, unfortunately, many administrators within the organisation are now calling Dalmiya a liability on a Board, which needs urgent action to wriggle out of the morass it is currently in.

Dalmiya has lately not been able to travel at all, and that's why most of the BCCI meetings are being scheduled in Kolkata. Even from the meetings he has attended, his colleagues have many tales to narrate about his inability to function properly and actively within the boardroom.

Options before BCCI

One wishes speedy recovery to Dalmiya who, in 1997, became the first Asian to become president of the ICC, which had previously been dominated by the English and Australian administrators.

But the main question is: Will Dalmiya, whose three-year term as BCCI president ends only in September 2017, be able to function as smoothly as before, once he is discharged from hospital? Will he, crucially, function smoothly for the next two years?

Also, will the rest of the BCCI, depending on his health, muster enough courage to remove him and replace him with someone who is younger, active and can command respect? These are the some of the burning questions the Board needs to address urgently and adeptly.

Dalmiya has been in ill-health for some time now, and suffered a heart attack on 17 September

BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur has maintained that all decisions of the Board have been taken in consultation with Dalmiya since the two took the reins in March. But he and other senior Board administrators will have to take a tough call in a few days, once Dalmiya returns home and they discuss the situation with him, as the BCCI also has to send its representative to ICC meetings, besides internal administration.

They can either appoint Dalmiya in a ceremonial role - like the patron-in-chief of the BCCI - or convince him to leave gracefully on his own accord.

The ideal solution would be if Dalmiya himself realises that he won't able to devote his full energy towards administration, and steps away.

Constitutional position

So, what are the steps that the BCCI would be required to take according to its constitution?

Rule 15, which deals with 'Election of office-bearers and vice-presidents', is clear about how a presidential vacancy should be filled.

Clause (v) states: "In case of vacancy occurring in the office of president by reason of death, or by him being adjudged insolvent, or by him being convicted in a criminal case by a competent court, or by resignation or otherwise, the secretary shall, within 15 days convene a special general body meeting to elect the president, who shall be nominated by at least one full member from the zone which proposed the name of the president whose term was cut short prematurely. Such person who is so elected shall hold office till the next elections."

Dalmiya was proposed by his east zone colleagues at the 2 March AGM. So, one full member from east zone will again have to propose the name of the president at the special general body meeting. The person thus elected will remain in the chair till September 2017, when the term of present set of office-bearers, including Dalmiya, ends.

All this is, however, about the written word. The ground reality within the Board is often different from what is enumerated in its constitution. And there are times when the constitution is 'silent' on certain issues and in that situation, it becomes open to interpretation - and politicking.

Politics or crippling inaction?

Before the heart attack, Dalmiya's family had been insisting that he would recover from the illness. But now they would have to decide fast whether his well-being is more important or the BCCI chair.

If Dalmiya abdicates his throne, he would be lauded. At the same time, that would start a race between aspirants for the top post. The BCCI can afford to see another round of politics, rather than being completely crippled, which it has been for more than two years.

First, it was N Srinivasan who insisted on sticking to the chair while claiming that he was not in a conflict-of-interest situation - until the Supreme Court showed him the door. Then, an ailing Dalmiya took over from him.

The BCCI cannot afford to have another controversy-ridden personality to guide it in arguably the darkest phase of its 86-year-old existence.