CPM rules: Subhas won’t pad up against Prasun for CAB

Konar today told The Indian Express: “These (speculation about Chakraborty contesting the CAB elections) are just rumours. They are totally baseless. How can the party approve of such an idea in the first place?”

Konar’s assertion today acted as a relief for many in the CPI(M), who were fearing an embarrassing civil war within the party in case Chakraborty picked up the gauntlet against Mukherjee, who has the full backing of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s candidate.

The election for the Cricket Association of Bengal president is slated for February 1, and January 24 is the last date for filing nominations.

Dalmiya had narrowly beaten Mukherjee in last July’s election, and the latter had made it public within days of Dalmiya’s resignation as the CAB boss on December 27 that he would vie for the post again.

Following Mukherjee’s assertion, the Dalmiya-backed ruling faction within the state association was hunting for a heavyweight candidate to take on Mukherjee, who also enjoys the support of former India skipper Sourav Ganguly and state Urban Development minister Ashok Bhattacharya.

Despite quitting his CAB post, Dalmiya is known to be in talks with Lok Sabha Speaker and CPI(M) heavyweight Somnath Chatterjee, besides regularly consulting his ‘godfather’ in Maidan, Biswanath Dutt.

On Monday, a close Dalmiya ally said that the “development concerning Subhas” could actually be a pressure tactic on part of the Dalmiya camp and force Mukherjee to back out of a straight contest.

Significantly, a quick logistics count reveals the sports minister would have walked away with the CAB top post, thanks largely to Maidan kingmaker Biswanath Dutt, who controls votes of nearly 40 clubs in the 121-vote CAB pie. The Chakraborty-Dutt combine was expected to sail through with the 18 votes from district, which, incidentally, undid Mukherjee’s chances in last July’s CAB polls.