The Hindu : National : CPI(M) backs Pawar's candidature

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Wednesday, Sep 29, 2004

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National

CPI(M) backs Pawar's candidature

KOLKATA, SEPT. 28. The CPI(M) today threw its weight behind the Union Minister, Sharad Pawar, in the election to the post of president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) tomorrow.

"Our sympathy is with Sharad Pawar,'' the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, Anil Biswas told PTI. He, however, said his party disfavoured involvement of political personalities in sports bodies which should be left to the sports professionals.

Buddhadeb detached

The West Bengal Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, chose to remain detached from the issue saying he was rather interested in the state of the Indian cricket team.

"The BCCI elections hardly interest me. I am rather interested in Sourav [Ganguly] and his team," he said.

Senior Congress leader and Defence Minister, Pranab Mukherjee, scotched speculations on political interference in the BCCI elections.

"It is a totally apolitical... The Congress has nothing to do with this," Mr. Mukherjee told newsmen here when his attention was drawn to news reports that political interference may decide the fate of the elections.

He also ruled out giving any directive to the Services, which is one of the affiliates of the board and is under the Defence Ministry, as its vote may prove crucial in the event of a close contest.

Mahajan's dig

The Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary, Pramod Mahajan, today remarked that the BCCI election was probably weighing more on the mind of Mr. Pawar than the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

"Winning the BCCI election seems to be high priority on Mr. Pawar," Mr. Mahajan said, after the release of the Shiv Sena-BJP joint manifesto in Mumbai today. — PTI

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