Mithun Manhas elected new BCCI president, Amita Sharma to head women’s selection panel
Mumbai(PTI): Former Delhi captain Mithun Manhas was on Sunday elected president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) at its Annual General Meeting (AGM) here.
Manhas, 45, became the 37th president of the Board, as he succeeded Roger Binny who resigned last month after turning 70.
The former all-rounder, who featured in 157 First-Class, 130 List A and 55 IPL matches between 1997-98 and 2016-17, had emerged as the consensus choice following an informal meeting of the Board’s power brokers in New Delhi earlier this month.
Manhas has an impressive tally of 9714 first class runs with 27 centuries to go with 4126 runs in List A matches.
The AGM confirmed a few other key appointments. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia and IPL Governing Council chairman Arun Dhumal retained their posts, while Karnataka State Cricket Association chief and former India cricketer Raghuram Bhat was elected treasurer.
Prabhtej Bhatia moved from treasurer to joint secretary, replacing Rohan Gauns Desai, and Saurashtra Cricket Association President Jaydev Shah made an Apex Council member in place of Dilip Vengsarkar.
Amita Sharma was named chairperson of the women’s selection panel, replacing Neetu David. The former India fast bowler, who played 116 ODIs, will be joined by Shyama Dey, Jaya Sharma and Sravanthi Naidu. Their tenure will begin after the women’s World Cup being held in India and Sri Lanka from September 30 to November 2.
Former India internationals RP Singh and Pragyan Ojha were inducted into the men’s selection panel, while ex-Tamil Nadu batter S Sharath returned to the junior selection committee.
Welcoming Manhas’ election, former India spinner Harbhajan Singh, attending the AGM as Punjab Cricket Association’s representative, said a cricketer at the helm of affairs of the Board was a positive step.
"When a cricketer heads a cricket body, his experience and other qualities help. It’s a good decision and it’s been happening for the last three terms which is a great thing for the cricketers as well for him to give something back to the game," he said.
"The BCCI has started this and there cannot be anything greater for any cricketer that he can also give something back. I’ve played a lot of cricket with Mithun since U19 days and I am very happy for him."
Harbhajan also expressed hope that Manhas would focus on strengthening infrastructure across the country.
"I hope that those things which he (perhaps) didn’t get in terms of facilities as a cricketer or could not get to that point (in career), from whatever he has learnt so far in his life, he does such a job that no young cricketer is left behind due to lack of infrastructure,” he said.
"A lot of development is taking place across the country if we talk about it. New grounds are coming up in new places and cricket is going to smaller venues. The credit goes to the BCCI and I hope Mithun will carry forward the same legacy and does a great job.”
Harbhajan also urged the BCCI to contribute towards relief work in flood-hit Punjab and other north Indian states.
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Arnab Goswami’s Homecoming? Anchor tears into Modi Government over aviation chaos
Says, govt not going to be happy with us saying this
New Delhi: In a striking turn that surprised even his regular viewers, Arnab Goswami spent the evening of December 4 taking direct aim at the central government over the ongoing crisis in the domestic aviation sector. The debate, aired on Republic, focused entirely on the severe disruption caused by IndiGo flight cancellations and the state of air travel in the country. The tone was sharp, emotional, and openly critical, raising the larger question of whether this marks a homecoming of sorts for the anchor long accused by critics of being soft on the government.
Goswami began the show by saying the central government had “completely let down” air passengers. He pointed to chaotic visuals from airports in Pune, Ahmedabad and Mumbai, describing passengers packed into crowded spaces, long queues, and travellers lying on the floor with little access to basic facilities. He said anyone travelling with children or elderly parents would understand the distress such situations cause.
According to him, the government often claims to have improved the aviation sector, but the day-to-day experience of passengers tells a different story. He argued that whatever help the government may have extended has benefited individuals and individual companies, not the sector as a whole.
Goswami highlighted data from the last three days, saying IndiGo had canceled 1,232 flights in November. He broke down the reasons for the cancellations: 755 linked to crew and FDTL constraints, 258 due to airspace and airport restrictions, 92 because of failures in air traffic control systems, 127 for other reasons.
He said passengers in India are often “taken for granted” and that only in this country can such large-scale cancellations take place without consequences.
Throughout the debate, Goswami repeatedly returned to the theme of duopoly. He said Air India and IndiGo together control 91.5 percent of the aviation market, leaving only a small share for others like Akasa and SpiceJet. This, he said, gives the two big players the power to decide prices and escape accountability.
“They can set the prices. They can torture passengers. They can be not answerable for air crashes.” He added.
Goswami also questioned why such a structure is allowed to exist if the government claims it opposes monopolies. He asked whether the government has made Air India accountable after the recent air crash, and said he did not believe so.
“We are told that the Modi government does not like monopolies. First of all, I don't agree with that. There are too many monopolies happening.” He said.
The anchor accused Air India of operating aircraft that were not airworthy and said no serious action followed. According to him, any other minister in charge of civil aviation would have been removed after such incidents, but nothing happened.
“He is not answerable. And why is the central government not bothered about it? Because he comes from the TDP, an alliance party. So let him do,” he said.
He added that Air India continues to seek government support, including compensation for losses after the Sindhur episode. Goswami questioned why public money should be used to support the airline, drawing a comparison with the earlier controversy involving Vijay Mallya seeking help from the Manmohan Singh government a move that was labelled as scam.
Goswami said passengers are suffering because of delayed flights, sudden cancellations, and lack of compensation. He criticised the DGCA, saying it was not enforcing safety and operational norms. He also questioned why the Prime Minister’s Office had not intervened.
He noted that Republic had carried multiple exposés on these issues and claimed that Air India chooses to give interviews and advertisements only to other channels.
He also called for Parliament to debate the aviation mess and examine whether monopolies or duopolies should be allowed in a nation of India’s size.
“I'm sure the government's not going to be happy with us saying this, but someone's got to speak up for the people of this country.” He added.
Known by his critics as the “Godi Media Chief”, Goswami’s direct attack on the Modi government over civil aviation raised eyebrows across media circles.
Whether this is a one-off outburst or a sign of a new editorial direction is something viewers will be watching closely.
#AviationCollapse | India’s aviation sector is in turmoil as IndiGo’s mass cancellations and Air India’s alleged safety lapses leave passengers stranded. The disruption raises serious questions about airline management, regulatory oversight, and who is ultimately responsible for… pic.twitter.com/Dqt6pcoW8w
— Republic (@republic) December 4, 2025
