Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president P. T. Usha has constituted a three-member fact-finding committee to ascertain the reasons for the prolonged delay in conducting the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) elections and to recommend a roadmap to ensure fair and timely polls.
The committee, formed on Friday, is chaired by IOA Treasurer Sahdev Yadav, with IOA Executive Council member Bhupender Singh Bajwa and Advocate Payal Kakra as members.
“The term of the current Executive Committee of the BFI ended on February 2, and fresh elections have not been conducted since,” Usha said in an IOA office order dated July 11.
According to the order, the panel will examine the “current legal and administrative status of the BFI and assess the implications of the delay on the governance and functioning of boxing in India.”
It will also “recommend necessary actions, including engagement with World Boxing, and suggest a clear roadmap for holding elections in a fair and timely manner.”
The committee has been asked to submit its report within a week “so that the factual position can be presented to World Boxing.”
The formation of the panel comes after the Sports Ministry, in a letter dated July 5, requested Usha to “devise a mechanism providing a suitable way forward in consultation with World Boxing to ensure elections are held at the earliest in accordance with the National Sports Code, 2011 and by-laws of BFI.”
Usha had also met World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst in Lausanne last month.
The tenure of the previous BFI office-bearers ended on February 2. Elections were initially scheduled for March 28, but the process has since been stalled due to legal wrangling, including multiple appeals and counter-appeals.
To ensure administrative continuity and oversight of domestic and international competitions, World Boxing set up a six-member Interim Committee, headed by Ajay Singh, on April 7, with a 90-day mandate.
Last week, it extended the committee’s tenure and urged the panel to complete the election process by August 31.
Usha, however, has yet to nominate the final member of the BFI Interim Committee.
“World Boxing has clearly mandated that the BFI elections be held before August 31, and as the Interim Committee, we are fully committed to delivering free and fair polls within that timeline. At the same time, it is important to reaffirm that the autonomy of the National Federation is governed by the framework laid down by the World Body. While we respect the intent behind the IOA’s formation of a three-member fact-finding committee, the process under way is already transparent, accountable, and well-documented,” said Col. Arun Malik (Retd.), Executive Director, BFI and Member of the Interim Committee.
The BFI has been plagued by internal strife and factionalism in the run-up to the elections. The Returning Officer, former Delhi High Court judge RK Gauba, had also resigned from his post, alleging a smear campaign against him.
Former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur is set to contest the elections against the incumbent BFI President Ajay Singh.