CHENNAI: The way things stand at the moment, another National Sports Federation seems to be heading towards a stalemate. It looks like a full-blown battle in Boxing Federation of India between factions as elections loom. In a dramatic turn of events former sports minister Anurag Thakur’s name was scrapped from Electoral College list signed by president of Boxing Federation of India Ajay Singh on Wednesday. This on a day after Thakur faction had hosted an informal get-together where current and former top sports administrators of the country were present. The meeting was apparently attended by top IOA officials including former and current presidents. Hours later, BFI secretary general Hemanta Kalita brought out a list that had Anurag Thakur’s name on it.
Things are getting trickier for Thakur as the Returning Officer RK Gauba has taken out the timeline for elections. According to the notice, the nomination date will commence from March 14 and will end at 6pm on March 16. The final list of candidates contesting the elections will be published on March 22.
The deletion of name from the electoral rolls will give a new twist to the BFI election as Thakur was expected to contest for the president’s post. The date of election is on March 28. If Ajay Singh, who is also running for third term, manages to keep Thakur out, it will be considered a major victory for his faction. Though some lauded his efforts, it needs to be seen how it pans out.
The reason for ineligibility was because “the State Unit had sent the name, however, he is found ineligible for violation of Boxing Federation of India notice dated 07.03.2025 and National Sports Development Code of India, 2011”. The date of election was announced on March 4 and the letter was signed by the BFI secretary general.
As reported by this newspaper, the BFI president had sent out letter on March 7 asking all its members send bonafide and duly elected members to be part of the electoral roll. “It is hereby clarified that only bonafide and duly elected members during the election AGM (duly notified to BFI) of the State Units affiliated with the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) shall be authorised to represent their respective States/Union Territories,” it said.
The deletion of Thakur’s name is a big setback to those supporting him. His name was sent by Himachal Pradesh state unit along with its president Rajesh Bhandari’s. It needs to be seen what would be their next move. Though the Himachal boxing unit had been insisting that Thakur has been part of their body for a long time, the BFI is insisting that he has not been an elected member. The faction is planning to contest the rolls signed by the president. Some members are also saying that the secretary's list should be considered as he was the one who notified the elections. Interestingly, the BFI constitution says: "The President/Secretary General shall prepare the list of the authorized representatives of the Associations ("Electoral College List")..."
If members who attended the get-together on Tuesday are to be believed there were representatives from more than 25 state units, while another faction said that about 15 members were present. However, in sports body elections, it is not just futile but also perilous to predict the outcome of elections. The secretary and treasurer posts in Thakur faction too have become a bone of contention among members. There has been intense lobbying going on for the two posts.
Boxing in shambles
Indications are not very healthy for the sport. The BFI, like All India Tennis Association or Rowing Federation of India, might end up in court. The constitution of the BFI too is not aligned with the sports code and subsequent Delhi High Court orders, especially when it comes to the number of Executive Committee members, which the court had restricted to 15. There is no athletes commission either.
Not just that. Interestingly, this mess is also a reflection on the poor mitigation and management of earlier elections, where sports ministry too had a hand. In a recent case of the Indian Golf Union, the ministry had recognised a body after elections (recognised by international body) that had announced two Returning Officers with two different Electoral Colleges for elections.
The Wrestling Federation of India election in 2023 too had some interesting nominations. It was widely reported that the secretary who was not an elected member of the Gujarat unit was nominated to the Electoral College. There were at least four or five of them who were not elected but nominated. There are quite a few other instance, but it needs to be seen what position the sports ministry takes this time.
Even during the Indian Olympic Association election when the new constitution had made it mandatory for one female representative from National Sports Federations (NSFs). “Two(2) representatives each with one vote each for each representative. Provided that one representative is male, and one is female,” said the new constitution.
Elections were bound to get more open after the Delhi High Court removed the restrictive clause that says: “There cannot be any restrictive, undemocratic clause, including as to who can contest for any position”.
The BFI is in a mess and the members who are part of the Electoral College seem to be there for eternity representing different state associations. The sport is complete shambles without national camps and coaches. It can only deteriorate further. But who cares about sportspersons if elections are at stake.
