NEW DELHI: Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president Ajay Singh, aiming for a third straight term, will contest against former vice-president Rajesh Bhandari and Olympian Jaslal Pradhan in the long-delayed elections set for August 21.
Singh, representing Uttarakhand, has been proposed this time by the Chhattisgarh and Bihar units. In March, the Uttarakhand body had nominated him before the process was halted.
Bhandari, head of the Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association (HPBA), and Pradhan, president of the Sikkim Amateur Boxing Association and a 1984 Los Angeles Olympian in the light welterweight category, are the other contenders. The elections will take place during BFI’s Annual General Meeting.
Bhandari is also in the fray for secretary and vice-president—positions he has held previously. Other secretary hopefuls include Uttar Pradesh’s Pramod Kumar, former treasurer Digvijay Singh (Madhya Pradesh), Delhi Amateur Boxing Association chief Neeraj Jain, and Kerala’s Sooraj NK. Digvijay and Sooraj have also filed for treasurer, joined by Odisha’s Anil Kumar Bohidar, Puducherry’s R. Gopu, and Tamil Nadu’s Pon Baskaran.
Eight zonal vice-presidents and an equal number of joint secretaries will also be elected. Nomination scrutiny is due Wednesday, with the final list of candidates to be published on August 14 and withdrawals closing on August 17.
Former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur was expected to contest for president, with HPBA nominating him. However, his name is absent from the 66-member electoral college released by the World Boxing-appointed interim committee overseeing Indian boxing. His nomination was rejected under Article 20 (iii) and (vii) of the amended BFI Constitution, which requires candidates to be elected state unit members and bars serving government servants or public office holders. Thakur, a sitting MP, meets neither criterion and faced similar disqualification in March.
Earlier this month, the boxing associations of Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat moved court seeking to halt the polls and challenge the amended constitution, urging elections under the old rules. The Delhi High Court has sought BFI’s response, ordering that the polls proceed “subject to the outcome” of the writ petition, with the matter next heard on August 18.
