The upcoming elections for the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on March 28 promise to be quite challenging for Ajay Singh, who is seeking a third consecutive term as president. Singh, who is also the chairman of SpiceJet Airlines, will face competition from Secretary General Hemanta Kalita and Vice President Rajesh Bhandari. Additionally, D Chandralal, secretary of the Kerala State Amateur Boxing Association, has joined the race, bringing the total number of candidates to four.

Ajay Singh has received backing from the Uttarakhand state association, while Kalita represents the Assam Amateur Boxing Association and Bhandari leads the Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association. Notably, Bhandari is also contesting for the North Zone vice president position, which he currently occupies.

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The deadline for submitting nominations was March 16, and the elections will occur during the BFI’s Annual General Meeting in Gurugram.

Former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur was anticipated to run for president, with the Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association nominating him as a candidate; however, his name did not appear in the final Electoral College list approved by Singh, despite Kalita including him in a separate list. The Returning Officer, former judge RK Gauba, supported the list submitted by the BFI president based on established protocols.

As per the model election guidelines outlined in the National Sports Development Code of India 2011 (NSDCI) – Annexure XXXVII (page 167), “Each Permanent Member State/Union Territory must be represented by two members authorized by the President or Secretary General/Secretary of the affiliated body; if different individual(s) are nominated, the one(s) authorized by the President are considered duly authorized, regardless of date.”

Singh has labeled Thakur as “ineligible” for representation from Himachal Pradesh, suggesting a potential legal challenge from Thakur’s supporters against the decision.

In addition, several candidates are vying for the secretary role, including Pramod Kumar from Uttar Pradesh, Satish N from Karnataka, Anil Kumar Bohidar from Odisha, and the incumbent treasurer Digvijay Singh from Madhya Pradesh, who has also applied for re-election to the treasurer’s post.

There will also be elections for eight zonal vice president positions and an equal number of joint secretaries. Tuesday will see the scrutiny of nominations, with the publication of valid nominations and withdrawals set for March 19.

The BFI elections have already experienced considerable delays, and after failing to hold them before February 2 due to upheaval in international boxing governance, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) appointed a five-member ad hoc committee to oversee boxing in the country. This decision was subsequently stayed by the Delhi High Court after the federation contested it.

Conflicting statements exacerbated the situation on Monday, as Singh and Kalita provided differing accounts regarding the women’s national boxing championship scheduled from March 20 to 27 in Greater Noida. Kalita stated that logistical challenges and incomplete entries led to the rescheduling of the event, while Singh countered that the championship would proceed as planned.

Kalita mentioned concerns regarding who would sign certificates and officiate the tournament given the impending elections and indicated that current conditions hindered the approval of travel and daily allowances (TA/DA) for officials. He assured that a new date would be announced following appropriate consultations and approvals.

In a quick rebuttal, Singh affirmed that the tournament would take place as scheduled, dismissing the logistical concerns raised. He assured that the BFI would handle necessary TA/DA payments and that all certificates would be signed by authorized officials.

Reiterating his commitment to the sport, Singh issued a stern warning regarding any delays in holding the tournament, highlighting that the BFI had already received entries from 34 states, both by name and number.

Several prominent female boxers, including Tokyo bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain, world champion Nitu Ghanghas, and Commonwealth Games medalist Jaismine Lamboria, have confirmed their participation in the impending tournament.