Naik vs Naik for MCA president

Mumbai: There are now only two candidates in the running to be the next president of the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), after vice-president of the Congress’ Mumbai unit Bhushan Patil withdrew from the race on Tuesday, the last day to withdraw the nominations. MCA secretary Ajinkya Naik will take on vice-president Sanjay Naik for the post of MCA president.Following the untimely demise of Amol Kale in New York on June 10, the MCA will conduct the election of its president on July 23 at the Wankhede Stadium.“I remain committed to continue the legacy of the late Kale sir by collaborating with the Apex Council to work for the MCA, its clubs, and its cricketers. You can notice the difference in the MCA’s administration from 2022 till now, compared to that of 2019-22. In the last 20 months, we’ve won eight titles, including the Ranji Trophy. As an administrator, I’ve strived to provide the right environment and culture for cricket excellence, and transparency in the system. We made sure that certain processes were set in place, which were followed by all the coaches, players, and other stakeholders,” Ajinkya told TOI.“I have been working in the MCA since 2015. I was in the marketing committee, then an apex council member, now secretary and now standing for the election of the president. You keep on upgrading, or your role keeps on changing, but cricket is common. I will work for cricket,” Ajinkya said at a media briefing at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.Naik said, “The presidential election is not a happy occasion. The voting is a sad event following Kale’s sudden demise. One thing is certain that the election will be fought on merit. The plan will be to understand how to execute the plans and how to take the legacy of Kale and Mumbai cricket ahead.”TOI had reported in its edition on July 6 that Ajinkya Naik had emerged as a formidable MCA presidential candidate. Significantly, Ajinkya’s nomination was proposed by former India women’s captain Diana Edulji. “I feel that I’m backing the right horse. Kale and Ajinkya were a very good team as a president and secretary. Heis 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 one of his own,” Edulji said. Present at Ajinkya Naik’s media briefing on Tuesday were Edulji and MCA's cricket advisor and former Mumbai captain Milind Rege.Pitching himself as someone who loves developing cricketing infrastructure, Ajinkya said: “During monsoons, we don't have such an infrastructure, which can give outdoor-like feel. The vision is that instead of going to other places, in Mumbai's MMR jurisdiction, we will have our own academy which will have an outdoor feel. I have seen a lot of facilities in the UK, Australia (and) there is one in Ghansoli. On the same lines, we should have one where there is actual grass and actual pitch because what we have right now is a turf pitch.”Explaining why he withdrew his nomination, Patil said: “I was asked by our senior leader (Maharashtra congress chief) Nana Patole to withdraw as both Sanjay and Ajinkya are MCA’s office-bearers and will go into a cooling period next year, when the next MCA elections take place. I can contest that time.”