BFI polls on Aug 21; former Indian sports minister Anurag Thakur to contest

NEW DELHI: The Boxing Federation of India’s (BFI) interim committee has announced elections for the sport’s national federation on Aug 21 in Delhi-NCR. The process faces certain challenges.

The officebearers’ term ended on Feb 2 this year, and efforts to hold elections by March 28 were thwarted by BFI factions that contested a March 7 order issued by former president Ajay Singh in the Delhi and Himachal high courts.Since then, an interim panel headed by Singh, established under the direction of World Boxing (WB), has been managing the federation’s daily operations.BFI’s constituent members argue that the Singh-led committee lacks the authority to call for elections, as it merely oversees boxing affairs.Additionally, detractors claim that Singh’s initiative to hold elections under the World Boxing constitution is unjustified. They assert that the BFI’s amended constitution, aligned with the global body’s rules and regulations, must first be ratified by the federation’s Executive Committee (EC) or in a general house meeting before formal adoption.Last month, the sports ministry empowered the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to investigate the delay in conducting elections and to “suggest a clear roadmap for holding elections in a fair and timely manner”.

Meanwhile, former sports minister Anurag Thakur, nominated by Himachal Pradesh Boxing as its representative in March but excluded from the previous electoral college, will contest the elections against Singh, sources confirmed. Thakur’s name, along with that of north zone vicepresident Rajesh Bhandari, will be forwarded as Himachal Boxing’s two representatives attending the AGM on Aug 21.