Prasun Mukherjee elected CAB president

Prasun Mukherjee, the Kolkata Police Commissioner, has been elected President of the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB). Mukherjee was elected unopposed and was the only contender with a valid nomination. He succeeds Jagmohan Dalmiya, who held the post till his resignation last December.

There was no other nominee, following the decision of Subhas Chakraborty, the sports minister, not to be a contender at the direction of his party, the CPI-M. Saradindu Pal, the CAB secretary, said that a formal announcement of Mukherjee's election would be made at the CAB's Special General Meeting (SGM) on February 1.

"My first priority will be to improve relations with the BCCI as also the infrastructure of the CAB," Mukherjee told a press conference. He added that he would seek suggestions from all affiliated clubs of the CAB and prioritise his task.

Mukherjee, the first bureaucrat to be elected to the post, said that Chakraborty's decision not to contest against him was a 'good and nice gesture' and that it had put an end to the unhealthy atmosphere that prevailed over the last few days.

Asked whether he would seek advice from his predecessor Dalmiya, he quipped, "Why not? "Dalmiya has vast experience in cricket administration. I will even seek advice from Biswanath Dutta, another former CAB chief. They are all very experienced people."

Since there was no contest, he added, "Credit goes to all. We are all united and our task is to improve the condition of cricket."