Mumbai: Mumbai Cricket Association would continue to be headed by a politician as Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh defeated former India skipper Dilip Vengsarkar by a margin of 45 votes in a straight contest to become the new president of the cricket body.Deshmukh, a vice-president like Vengsarkar in the outgoing committee headed by another political bigwig Sharad Pawar, garnered 181 votes as against Vengsarkar`s 136 to emerge triumphant in the biennial elections.
Deshmukh had the backing of Pawar after the Union Agriculture Minister became ineligible to contest the polls as per a clause in the MCA`s constitution following a change of his permanent residence status from Mumbai to Baramati.
Pawar`s panel members -- Prof Ratnakar Shetty and Ravi Savant -- were elected as vice-president and treasurer respectively while D Y Patil Sports Academy`s chairman Vijay Patil, who contested as an independent, became the other vice-president.
Two other members of the Pawar panel -- Dr P V Shetty and Nitin Dalal -- also emerged victorious to become the two new joint secretaries.
