MCA, BCCI conspiracy behind shifting of ODI venue: Chhajed

Pune, Jan 30 (UNI) Pune City Congress President Abhay Chhajed today said the grounds of shifting of the venue of the India-Sri Lanka ODI from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here to Kolkata were flimsy and alleged there was a conspiracy between Maharashtra Cricket Association (MCA) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The reason that Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) had demanded the passes was flimsy, he said and maintained it was a conpiracy between MCA President Ajay Shirke and BCCI President Sharad Pawar.

''The sole reason behind giving the ODI tie to Kolkata was to abolish Pune as the cricket center and to bring prominence to Baramati constituency,'' Chhajed said in a statement here.

The PMC, which owns the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, has written a letter to the MCA to host the ODI between India and Sri Lanka after a lapse of nearly two years.

The question of PMC demanding a large quota of passes for the match could not arise since aspiring corporators were concentrating only on working towards winning the civic elections, he said.

''This was indeed a big lie and Shirke is saying so at the behest of Mr Pawar,'' he alleged.

The demand is only to garner public sympathy so that a new cricket stadium could be built in Baramati constituency, he said.

Mr Chhajed said as per a legal contract, 300 passes are alloted.

Of these, 145 are for corporators and remaining for other officials.

The MCA's decision to not hold the ODI in Pune has cost its exchequer dearly as lakhs of rupees have been spent for the event he said. He cited Rs 10 lakh expenditure on new lawn mower, Rs 13 lakh on small roller. Mordenisation of dressing rooms, repair and maintainance of the stadium has cost them Rs 20 lakh including expenditure on installation of new sprinklers on the ground.

The Nehru stadium, with its increased capacity of about 25,000 would have fetched Rs 3 crore revenue through sale of tickets, banners, advertisements. In the absence of the match, it will be a total loss to the civic body.

Another reason, Mr Chhajed said was Mr Pawar's aspiration of being elected as the President of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

By allowing the match to be held in Kolkata, Mr Pawar has played his card and gave the match to Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) President Prasun Mukherjee.

Mr Pawar made this move to be in the good books of Mr Mukherjee in the pursuit of higher office of ICC as President, he added.

Mr Mukherjee was unanimously elected as the CAB President after the ouster of former BCCI and ICC President Jagmohan Dalmiya, he said.

UNI