BCCI to select Jay Shah’s replacement: Date set for election and potential candidates revealed

New Delhi: As per a PTI report, the BCCI will elect a new secretary on January 12 during a Special General Meeting (SGM). In addition to the new secretary, a new treasurer will also be chosen following Ashish Shelar’s appointment as a cabinet minister in the newly formed Maharashtra government.

Jay Shah held his position at the BCCI for five years starting in 2019 before being appointed as the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC). He took office at the ICC on December 1, 2024. Remarkably, Shah became the youngest ever to lead the ICC at the age of 36 and is also the fifth Indian to take on this prestigious role.

According to the BCCI constitution, any vacant post should filled within 45 days by calling an SGM. “Yes, after the Apex Council Meeting on Thursday, state units were sent a notification about the date of the SGM, which is January 12 at the BCCI headquarters,” a state association president told PTI.

The reforms proposed by the Lodha Committee, which were approved by the Supreme Court, mandate that an individual cannot hold two roles simultaneously. Consequently, both Shah and Shelar stepped down from their respective positions as required. At present, Devajit Saikia from Assam is serving as the interim secretary of the BCCI, while the treasurer’s role remains unfilled.

Who will replace Jay Shah?
Following the announcement of Shah’s appointment as ICC chairman, the names of Rohan Jaitley, president of the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA), and Anil Patel, secretary of the Gujarat Cricket Association, began to emerge. However, a report from News18 suggested that Patel might be the unexpected contender for the role.

In the meantime, a BCCI document, obtained by PTI, mentioned that the Apex Council has been asked to approve the appointment of Achal Kumar Jyoti, the former Chief Election Commissioner of India, as the Electoral Officer to oversee the BCCI elections during the Special General Meeting.

Jyoti, 71, is a retired IAS officer from the 1975 batch of the Gujarat cadre, who held the position of India’s Chief Election Commissioner from July 2017 to January 2018.