Mahanaryaman Scindia becomes youngest MPCA President

Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia’s son and Gwalior Division Cricket Association vice-president, Mahanaryaman Scindia, was unanimously elected as the president of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association (MPCA)  on Monday, September 1,. The 29-year-old, a member of the erstwhile Gwalior royal family, has now become the youngest chief of the MPCA.

The MPCA, established in 1957, is now headed by a third-generation royal. MPCA’s chief administrative officer Rohit Pandit confirmed that all posts were filled unopposed in the elections. The newly-elected executive will formally take charge during the association’s annual general meeting on Tuesday, after which office-bearers will assume charge.

The new executive includes Vineet Sethia as vice-president, Sudhir Asnani as secretary, Arundhati Kherkire as joint secretary and Sanjeev Dua as treasurer. Alongside them, Sandhya Agarwal, Prasoon Kanamdikar, Rajiv Risodkar, and Vijesh Rana have been elected as committee members, while the cricket committee comprises Pradeep Banerjee, Ramnik Patel and Abhay Laghate.

"In the last six years, the MPCA has garnered several milestones. I hope the newly elected executive under Mahanaryaman Scindia's leadership will take the association to new heights," said outgoing MPCA president Abhilash Khandekar as quoted by NDTV Sports.

Mahanaryaman's involvement in cricket administration has grown significantly over the past three years. He was appointed GDCA vice-president and became a lifetime MPCA member in 2022. He also serves as the president of the Madhya Pradesh T20 League (MPL), launched in Gwalior in 2024.

The Scindia family has held sway over cricket administration in the state for decades. Mahanaryaman's late grandfather, Madhavrao Scindia, and his father, Jyotiraditya Scindia, both served as MPCA presidents. State Minister Kailash Vijayvargiya had challenged the Scindia family’s dominance nearly 15 years ago. In the 2010 elections, Jyotiraditya Scindia defeated Vijayvargiya by 70 votes in the presidential contest, with the Scindia faction sweeping all key executive positions.

Following the Lodha Committee recommendations, Jyotiraditya and senior administrator Sanjay Jagdale had to step down from MPCA posts in January 2017, as both had completed more than nine years in the managing committee, making them ineligible to continue.