New Delhi, Nov 13 (PTI) A faction of the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI) on Friday claimed that track legend PT Usha was not a member of the national federation of the sport and thus cannot represent it in the General Body of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
After failing to get elected as one of the four female Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs), IOA President Usha was on Thursday nominated to the General Body by IHAI as one of its two representatives to keep her re-election bid alive.
The eight SOMs — four male and four female — and the General Body members can vote and stand as candidates for the IOA Executive Council polls on December 5.
There is a clause in the notification issued on Monday by the IOA-appointed Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava that the nominated representative should be a member of the NSF concerned. Each NSF is also required to submit a copy of resolution/authorization approving the nomination of the representatives.
Article 10.4 of the IOA Constitution ratified in September this year also says that “the representatives nominated by each unit (NSF) must be members of such units (NSFs)”.
In a letter sent to EO Srivastava, another faction of the IHAI objected to the nomination of Usha and Harjinder Singh as the two representatives of the national federation.
“It is pertinent to note that Ms. P T Usha is not a member of the Ice Hockey Association of India and yet she has been nominated as one of the delegates thereby falsely implying that she is a member of the nominating federation,” the objection letter said.
The letter sent by Ajit Kakkar, who claims to be the vice president of the IHAI faction led by Kunzang Namgyal, requested the Electoral Officer to “verify the authority and composition of the body that passed any such resolution (to nominate the two representatives), the meeting and quorum supporting it”.
The IOA recognises Ice Hockey Association of India led by president Gurpreet Singh Bakshi with Harjinder as secretary general.
The sports ministry does not recognise any national body of ice hockey as the administration of the sport that has been mired in controversy in the recent past with multiple factions having claimed as the official NSF.
Kakkar submitted that “neither Mr Gurpreet Singh Bakshi nor Mr Harjinder Singh have any authority to function as either the President or Secretary General of the IHAI as they do not have any legal mandate to hold these offices”.
“No valid elections have taken place in 2022 and hence no mandate vests in the Executive Committee/Governing Body which
Mr Gurpreet Singh Bakshi or Mr Harjinder Singh claim to head in their official capacities.
“Even if we assume a valid four-year term allegedly began on 14.05.2022, it would ordinarily have ended in May 2026. Any claim of authority in November 2026 therefore requires proof of a later valid election, a specific continuation provision in the applicable rules or a competent order.”
On the other hand, Kakkar claimed that the body of which he is a vice president and is led by Namgyal is the official NSF, having conducted elections on August 2 this year.
“The governing body which came into existence in furtherance of duly conducted elections on 02.08.2026 and which is headed
by Mr Kunzang Namgyal is the valid governing body of IHAI having a true and legal mandate,” Kakkar wrote in the letter.
“Mr Harjinder Singh and Mr Gurpreet Singh Bakshi lack authority to hold offices within IHAI and represent IHAI. I also request that Ms P T Usha’s nomination as female member in the Electoral College should be debarred as the same is invalid and unlawful.”
The deadline for submission of objections to the provisional electoral college ended at 6pm Friday. The Electoral Officer will conduct scrutiny, verification and disposal of objections on Saturday before publishing the final electoral roll on Sunday.
Two other persons also sent letters to the EO, objecting to the nomination of Usha from the Ice Hockey Association of India but their locus standi could not be known. PTI PDS PDS ATK
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.