NEW DELHI: While keeping mum on when it will hold elections, the interim panel of the Boxing Federation of India – headed by incumbent president Ajay Singh himself – held its first meeting virtually on Monday, when it was decided to reinstate the elite boxing system and select the coaches and support staff for the elite men and women national coaching camps with immediate effect.
The other decisions included ensuring the participation of under-15 and 17 boxers in the Asian Championships in Amman commencing April 17. Yet, one question remained unaddressed — why wasn’t the national federation conducting its elections, which have been due since Feb 2 this year and witnessed several postponements and deferrals?
Armed with a World Boxing order to form an interim committee “to oversee the affairs of the BFI and ensure ad- ministrative continuity,” the six-member panel, headed by Singh and comprising five other members of his preference, ironically has a 90-day mandate to function with no timeline established for electing the new set of office-bearers for the term 2025-2029.
Notwithstanding the committee’s decisions, the rival faction — which has been projecting former sports minister Anurag Thakur as its presidential candidate organised a press conference on Tuesday with several members of state boxing units demanding immediate elections. Last week, the Himachal High Court directed the ministry observer (Mayank Srivastava) and Returning Officer (RO) — RK Gauba — to issue a fresh election schedule before April 28, when the case is set to be heard again.
The faction alleged that Singh has been operating in a dictatorial manner, which led to the poor performance at the Paris Games. “We are worried and want the elections to hap- pen as soon as possible. So that our athletes don’t lose out and their future is secure,” said former BFI treasurer Digvijay Singh.