KOLKATA: The race to succeed Jagmohan Dalmiya at the helm of Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) gathered momentum on Wednesday with Sourav Ganguly and Dalmiya's son Avishek calling on chief minister Mamata Banerjee at Nabanna.

Sourav and Avishek insisted that it was a courtesy call to discuss the arrangements for the former BCCI chief's 'shraddh' ceremony to be held on October 2. "To discuss something like this three days after his (Dalmiya's) death is not right. Speculation will be on, someone will run CAB. It's too early to say anything," Ganguly said after emerging from the meeting that was also attended by three senior state ministers.

There was no official line on the succession issue at CAB, but according to a well-placed source, the chief minister is well aware of the factionalism in the CAB, and wants the members to sort out their differences and elect a candidate who is acceptable to all factions.

It virtually paves the way for Sourav, who is into his second year as joint-secretary, to take over as the CAB boss when a Special General Meeting (SGM) is convened next month. Sourav, who is a relative newcomer to cricket administration, will however have to use his persuasive skills and political acumen to bring all the rival factions together and project a united front to convince all that he is the right man to carry Dalmiya's legacy forward.

There are numerous contenders for the CAB president's post like Gautam Dasgupta and Chitrak Mitra -- both former joint secretaries and Dalmiya protégés -- but in spite of their seniority, they have limited following in the association which has 121 voting units. The fact that none of the numerous factions in the CAB controls more than 15-20 votes, should work to Sourav's advantage.

Expect hard bargains to be struck and quarters asked and given before a formal announcement is made, but rebuilding CAB will be a far less demanding task for Sourav than it was building Team India, brick by brick, in the new millennium during his tenure as captain.

Sourav will be the first Test player to head CAB if elected to the post.

