While most of the country is caught up with the electoral fortunes of one Modi, cricket followers are now obsessed with the election results of another one.

Interestingly, the fate of Lalit Modi, former commissioner of the Indian Premier League (IPL), could depend on the fortunes of Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP’s) prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, which will be known on 16 May. But before we come to understanding that nexus, let’s see what the latest crisis brewing in Indian cricket is all about.

Lalit Modi’s victory in the Rajasthan Cricket Association (RCA) elections—declared on 6 May after being held in abeyance for some months on the directive of the Supreme Court—actually held no suspense for anybody except for the margin of his victory.

In the event, bagging 24 of the 33 votes for the post of president showed his clout. His group too had virtually no challenge. But the Board Of Control For Cricket in India (BCCI) responded with alacrity to queer the pitch and make Modi’s celebrations all too brief—and the brief for his lawyers much longer than it already is.

The BCCI suspended the RCA and appointed an ad hoc body to run the affairs of the association to protect the “interests of players", as BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel put it. This drew a sharp response from Modi who cried foul and promised to raise the ante in his fight with the parent body.

So how does this battle square off?

Ordinarily, the RCA would have had no leg to stand on in its support for Modi. As a constituent of the BCCI, the association has to abide by the constitution of the BCCI and its decisions. In this case, the decision was clear: Modi was persona non grata and allowing him to contest elections would lead to suspension.

But there is a twist to the tale. Unlike in the case of every other member state association of the BCCI, the RCA’s constitution is bound by the Rajasthan Sports Act of 2005, which had originally allowed Modi to become president.

Modi fought the elections in January in absentia under this umbrella Act after the Supreme Court gave him permission. The BCCI cried foul, citing that Modi had been suspended for life on grounds of “indiscipline and misconduct" last September, but the apex court held firm.

In the ding-dong battle which ensued, results were withheld for four months and made public only on 6 May by the Supreme Court. However, even while announcing this, the court maintained that the BCCI could petition against it if it so desires.

This makes the matter as straight as concentric circles so to speak. The hard stance taken by both parties suggests that the current imbroglio will inevitably find its way back to the apex court for a resolution to the propriety of the Rajasthan Sports Act vis-à-vis the BCCI’s constitution.

The feud between the board and its once “shining knight" who set up the hugely successful IPL has been long-drawn and bitter ever since Modi was suspended in 2010 over allegations of financial misconduct. He left the country after the Enforcement Directorate started proceedings against him shortly after, claiming that there were threats to his life.

The BCCI’s life ban came last year, but over the past four years, there has been a constant trading of charges between the two parties, more so from Modi who has been waging battle through the media (mainstream and social), long distance from London, UK, where he is currently ensconced.

Modi has been particularly vitriolic against N. Srinivasan, BCCI president currently asked by the Supreme Court to step aside while the IPL spot-fixing scam is being probed. When the IPL started, the two were thought to be “good" friends, but things soured drastically after Modi was suspended in 2010 though the BCCI president then was Shashank Manohar.

So what happens to Modi now? On the face of it, despite the victory in the RCA elections, it seems like an uphill task for him. That the BCCI has moved in swiftly to suspend the state association scuttles his chance to take over the administration immediately.

Even more problematic for Modi, however, could be countering the blue corner notice issued against him by the Enforcement Directorate in 2010 so that he can return to India: unless, of course, there is a dramatic change in the environment.

This is where national politics and the general election loom into the picture. If the National Democratic Alliance comes into power after the elections and Narendra Modi becomes prime minister, Lalit Modi, it is believed, could get a lifeline.

It is common knowledge that Lalit is close to Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje who, in turn, is thought to be close to Narendra Modi. She could make a plea for her friend Modi with her leader, the other Modi.

But there is a flip side to this BJP bonhomie too. Arun Jaitley, widely considered Narendra Modi’s closest friend in the party, is a sworn enemy of Lalit Modi and seen as a firm BCCI establishment man in favour of Srinivasan.

With wheels moving within wheels, it is clear that nothing in Indian cricket, as in politics, is as clear-cut as it may seem. How the cookie crumbles, for Modi and Modi, remains to be seen.

Ayaz Memon is a senior columnist who writes on sports and other matters.

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