MCA presidential election: It’s Naik vs Naik

Diana Edulji (left) and Ajinkya Naik at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday. Pic/Subodh Mayure

It will be a straight contest between sitting secretary Ajinkya Naik and vice-president Sanjay Naik for the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) president's election.

The MCA had received three nominations - from Ajinkya and Sanjay as well as Congress leader Bhushan Patil, who contested the Lok Sabha election against union minister Piyush Goyal recently. However, Patil decided to withdraw his nomination on Tuesday, the final day for withdrawals.

The election for MCA's president post is scheduled to be held on July 23 following the untimely demise of Amol Kale on June 10 in USA.

Former India women's team captain and MCA's women's cricket advisor Diana Edulji was present during Ajinkya's press conference on Tuesday. "As you know I played cricket on the front foot. And even as a CoA [BCCI's Committee of Administrator] member I fought for the players and for cricket as such. And now, I definitely feel I am backing the right horse.

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"Kale and Ajinkya were a very good team as president and secretary. He [Ajinkya] is absolutely aware of what Mumbai cricket desires. I'm sure that he would be able to carry forward the legacy of MCA, and maybe improve on Kale's legacy, or make his own. We had an excellent last season, with both men and women's team championships," Edulji said during the press conference on Tuesday.

When mid-day asked Ajinkya about his priority, if he were to be elected as MCA president, he said: "We have good infrastructure but during the monsoons we don't have such good infrastructure which can give an outdoor feel [of practice]. The vision is that instead of going to other places [for camps], we will have our own academy which will have an outdoor feel in Mumbai's MMR [Mumbai Metropolitan Region] jurisdiction."