The result of the election for the top job in Indian cricket would have left the incumbent BCCI president AC Muthiah bitterly disappointed – but, as a close associate of the man who has supplanted him, Jagmohan Dalmiya, he wouldn't have been entirely surprised. Dalmiya, who laid down his office as president of the International Cricket Council in far-from-pleasant circumstances just over a year ago, turned the tables on Muthiah, who was seeking a third term as BCCI president.

The result could be termed an upset, considering that Muthiah was the clear favourite, apparently having secured a clear majority. But for those familiar with Dalmiya's wily ways, the dramatic turnaround was not surprising. He is a master manipulator, especially adept at managing votes and winning elections. He got into the top seat in world cricket by canvassing the votes of all ICC's associate members.

A seasoned administrator, Dalmiya knows a thing or two about elections which Muthiah, who had become BCCI president two years ago with Dalmiya's blessing, might not yet have learned. Today he pulled out two aces, winning over the cricket associations of Gujarat and Assam. Muthiah had expected to win those two votes, which would have tied the contestants. The incumbent president – Muthiah himself – would then have had the casting vote.

The no-holds-barred election might herald another watershed in Dalmiya's remarkable and often controversial career as a cricket administrator. To some it might seem a comedown for a former ICC president to seek election to head his home board, but Dalmiya is clearly not a man prepared to play a fringe role.

He has certainly held some peculiar opinions on the game. He once spoke about finding a limited-overs solution to dull draws in Test matches, and the cricket world smiled. He won the same countries over later by saying that he was merely throwing ideas at cricketers.

Dalmiya also squeezed his way through a scandal over TV rights. It was once assumed that the federal investigators had evidence against him – but that seems not to be the case, as their report has not yet been made public, while the one on corrupt players was released earlier this year.

Dalmiya, a Kolkata builder who has various business interests, was first seen as a saviour of the downtrodden when he gathered all the associate members together to make an assault on the cricket world's top post. Along with Inderjitsingh Bindra of the Punjab Cricket Association, he changed the face of Indian cricket, professionalising the BCCI and commercialising the game. Not everyone agreed with his methods, but there was no denying the financial success the BCCI enjoyed during Dalmiya's five-year term as secretary.

Bindra and Dalmiya, once so close, later fell out. Their strained relationship was an issue at this meeting, as one section of the Board mustered behind Muthiah – who now had Bindra on his side.

The election of Niranjan Shah as the new Board secretary, replacing Jaywant Lele, was a blow to Dalmiya's group. The matter went down to president Muthiah's casting vote after a 15-15 tie from the delegates. But now that Dalmiya has won so many people over it's unlikely to be long before he wins the new secretary over too, and makes him a member of his elite team.

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd