New Delhi, Jun 6 (PTI) The twists and turns in the Pune bid row continued today with City Corporation MD Aniruddh Deshpande refuting allegations that he kept the IPL in dark about his “individual bid” for the franchise but conceded that the company”s name was used in his bid documents. Deshpande”s denial comes in the wake of media reports that the Pune-based Real Estate firm City Corporation had authorised him to bid on the company”s behalf in a January board meeting.
The firm, in which Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar”s family has 16 per cent equity, had earlier denied being part of the bid but BCCI President Shashank Manohar yesterday rejected its claim, saying the failed bid came in the company”s name. Deshpande said he had told the IPL that he would float a new company after winning the bid, which was eventually clinched by the Sahara Group.
Deshpande said the City Corporation allowed him to use the company”s name on the documents as very little time was left for the bids to open. “All the documents were in the company”s name and a letter to that effect was also submitted to the IPL Governing Council on March 21 before the bid.
I told them that the stakeholders will change if we are successful bidders,” Deshpande said. “Since we were not successful bidders, nothing further had to be done,” he added.
City Corporation”s involvement had been vehemently denied by Pawar and his Parliamentarian daughter Supriya Sule. The duo had said that the Pawar family was not involved in any bidding process but had admitted that Deshpande was allowed to go ahead in his “individual capacity”.
Deshpande said the company”s Board backed out of bidding for the team after a March 17 meeting where a fresh resolution allowing him to go ahead individually was passed. .