NEW DELHI: From being suspended by World Archery (WA) to not being recognised by the sports ministry, the factionalism-ridden Archery Association of India (AAI) is finally set for elections on Saturday. If things go well, this could be the start of a new innings for not only the federation but also the archers in the country.The president’s post is being contested by Union Minister Arjun Munda and BVP Rao. The secretary’s post will see Pramod Chandurkar take on Maha Singh. Elections will be held for the posts of president, senior vice-president, vice-presidents (8), secretary, joint-secretaries (7), and treasurer.
Out of 31 state associations, 26 were eligible to send two representatives each for the elections. Nagaland were included in the last moment but they have only voting rights. On Friday, the Returning Officer decided not to exclude the Uttarakhand Archery Association despite the Chandigarh faction taking the matter to court.
The last 13 months have seen two elections being conducted. One was under the court-appointed administrator Dr SY Quraishi, which saw Rao become the president. That election was not recognised by IOA and the sports ministry and they did not send an observer. The results were declared null and void by the Supreme Court. Elections took place one again, simultaneously in Chandigarh and Delhi, where Rao and Munda were elected presidents. This led to the AAI’s suspension.
This time, WA, IOA and the ministry will send observers for the polls that will be conducted at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Kazi Rajib Uddin Ahmed Chapol, WA Asia 1st vice-president, is here as WA observer. The IOA has deputed Hari Om Kaushik, while the ministry will send Vineet Kumar from their side.It was Chapol’s report last time which led to WA suspending AAI. Chapol has stated he wants to see free and fair elections and his report will be taken into consideration by WA before they decide whether to lift the suspension.
“It’s a positive and much-awaited step for Indian archery. There’s 100 per cent chance of the suspension being lifted, should there be fair elections,” Chapol opined.Both factions have claimed they will win. Of the 19 posts on offer, Munda’s group is vying for all, while Rao & Co are fighting for 10. As a member of the Delhi faction put it, based purely on numbers they should win unless there is cross-voting. “We should win. But even in the last elections, there was cross-voting. Let’s see what happens on Saturday,” a member of the Delhi group added.Rao, on his part, said all that he wants is to see the sport finally getting the recognition it deserves. “For too long the sport has suffered. Whoever wins, archery should be the ultimate winner,” he told this daily.
Candidates in fray
President: Arjun Munda (Jharkhand) vs BVP Rao (Assam).
Secretary general: Pramod Chandurkar (Maharashtra) vs Maha Singh (Chandigarh).
Treasurer: Samikhya Nanda Das (Odisha) vs Rajendar Singh Tomar (Uttarakhand).