Bharatiya Janata Party MP Anurag Thakur was elected the new president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India on Sunday at a Special General Meeting in Mumbai. Thakur nominated Maharashtra Cricket Association President Ajay Shirke to take over his post as BCCI secretary, according to reports.

Thakur will be the board's third president in the last 16 months. This comes after former president Shashank Manohar resigned on May 10 to take up the post of International Cricket Council chairman. Manohar had taken over as BCCI president in September last year Jagmohan Dalmiya died.

Thakur was the favourite to take over from Manohar after being nominated by all six full members of the BCCI's East Zone. A candidate needs just one nomination from the zone whose turn it is to elect the president, reported The Indian Express. "[Thakur] will be officially declared the President of BCCI for the remaining term 2014-17 at the Special General Meeting,” the board had said in a statement on Saturday.