After spending one-and-a-half years in the wilderness, staving off charges of misappropriation and fighting bitter court battles, Jagmohan Dalmiya is all set to stage a comeback to the world of cricket administration. The former ICC chief is touted as a heavy favourite for the president’s post, where he is competing against the present incumbent Prasun Mukherjee in the annual elections of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) on Tuesday. The CAB electorate comprises 119 votes, which includes Kolkata clubs, district units and state universities. With 60 as the magic figure for an outright win, sources indicate that Dalmiya is expected to attract 70 to 75 votes in the race for the president’s post.Dalmiya, who has been at the helm of the CAB for 14 long years before getting sidelined by the BCCI, has campaigned hard through his staunch allies in the Kolkata Maidan, focusing on the repeated failures of the current CAB administration on both cricketing as well as off-the-field matters.The senior Bengal team crashed out of the Ranji Trophy Elite Division last season, and the Dalmiya faction has been using the disastrous showing of Bengal cricket as a campaign tool, besides several other administrative follies.In 2006 elections, Dalmiya, then the CAB president, narrowly defeated Prasun Mukherjee warding off the combined challenge from Sourav Ganguly, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the BCCI — all of who were in favour of the latter. In December that year, the Board expelled Dalmiya from the CAB on charges of alleged misappropriation of funds and Mukherjee was subsequently handed over the reins in January 2007. While the BCCI is keeping a close watch on proceedings, top Board officials declined to comment on Dalmiya’s comeback bid.
