CHENNAI: The Rowing Federation of India’s (RFI) elections on December 6 are going to be an eventful affair. Contests for every post, charges of ineligibility against a candidate for the president’s chair and rival factions trying to impress on the voters till the last minute — everything points towards a stormy gathering in Hyderabad.
The main battle is between incumbent president Rajlaxmi Singh Deo and challenger Lt Gen Harpal Singh. Not many seem to be giving much of a chance to Girish J Phadnis, the current secretary-general, who is the third contestant for the president’s post. Rajlaxmi’s nephew Amarjyoti Singh Deo is in the race to be the secretary-general, with MV Sriram.
It has been learnt that both sets of rivals have the backing of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials. If one faction wants Rajlaxmi to win, the other is throwing its weight behind Harpal. Voting members from various state associations under the RFI have confirmed receiving calls from Harpal’s associates to elect him. There are whispers that a certain number of voters are in his favour.
Each state unit has three votes — two male and one female. There are 17 of them in the electoral college. Interestingly, the Punjab Amateur Rowing Association had an internal dispute and were initially not allowed to take part in the voting process. But they have now been ruled eligible by the Punjab Olympic Association. There is a feeling in the RFI that this Punjab unit will vote for Harpal.
Harpal’s eligibility remains a point of contention. A few days back, the Telangana Rowing Association had protested against Harpal’s candidature, saying that he is also the president of the Services Sports Control Board (SSCB), which makes him ineligible to contest. However, that protest was not entertained. Going by the rule book, he remains a candidate. Since he is a government servant, he has also obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the SSCB.
A source in the know also said that SSCB is not considered as an NSF. “SSCB is to be considered as a state. That’s how all SSCB teams are competing in the national championships. So it shouldn’t be a problem,” the source said.
However, sources in the rowing fraternity believe that Rajalaxmi would come out victorious despite attempts to lure votes in Harpal’s direction.