BFI elections: Rajesh Bhandari to vie with Ajay Singh for BFI president’s post
There will be contest for many posts; 29 candidates are in fray for 19 posts of BFI executive council
New Delhi: Boxing Federation of India (BFI) president Ajay Singh and vice-president Rajesh Bhandari will be in the fray for the president’s post in the elections to be held on March 28, it has been learnt.
Bhandari, who is Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association president, has also filed nomination for the vice-president’s post.
The 19 posts for which elections are being held are president, secretary, treasurer, zonal vice presidents (8) and zonal joint secretaries (8). In all, 29 candidates have filed their nominations the BFI executive council elections with the nominations closing on Sunday. It points to likely contests for many posts. Four candidates each will be in the fray for the post of secretary-general and treasurer, it has been learnt. The official list will be published on Monday and scrutiny of nominations done on Tuesday, as per the election schedule put out by returning officer, Justice (retd) RK Gauba.
It is also learnt that HPBA is preparing to petition the court against the exclusion of former union minister Anurag Thakur from the electoral college.
The BFI elections came into spotlight after HPBA nominated Thakur to the electoral college with an eye on his contesting for the president’s post against Ajay Singh, the SpiceJet chairman and MD, who is seeking a third and final term. Thakur was found to be “ineligible” on grounds that he was not an “elected member of HPBA” which was seen to be “in violation” of the federation’s constitution and the National Sports Code, Singh said while preparing the list of electoral college on March 12. Another electoral list announced by BFI secretary general Hemanta Kalita included Thakur’s name. Gauba, after considering both the lists, upheld the decision to omit Thakur’s name, referring to the sports ministry’s views on ‘model election code’, which is part of the sports code, during elections to the All India Chess Federation.
HPBA has contended that the decision is against the federation’s regulations.
