Mumbai Cricket Association elections: Sena backs Dilip Vengsarkar

Shiv Sena on Friday announced its support for the group led by former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar in the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) elections. “Owing to politicisation in cricket administration, players have been distanced (from administration). Have politicians like Sharad Pawar and Vilasrao Deshmukh ever held a cricket bat?” said Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray. He added that when his party objected to Pakistani players, it was always told not to bring politics into the game. “Then what are these politicians doing in cricket,” he asked. “We feel the MCA election is the right opportunity to save cricket and throw politicians out of the MCA pitch,” he said.

Vengsarkar, who is contesting for the post of MCA president, will take on the incumbent and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and union rural development minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in a three-way battle to take control of the MCA in the July 15 election. Both Vengsarkar and Deshmukh are currently vice-presidents of the association. “Sena chief, Bal Thackeray, is an ardent cricket fan but is opposed to politics on the cricket field. Why should politicians rule MCA?” asked Thackeray.