PT Usha fails to get elected as SOM; Anju Bobby George makes the cut
IOA president PT Usha lost a controversial election for Sportsperson of Merit, threatening her presidency. Saina Nehwal and three others were elected, joining eight new members eligible for upcoming December polls.
IOA president PT Usha lost a controversial election for Sportsperson of Merit, threatening her presidency. Saina Nehwal and three others were elected, joining eight new members eligible for upcoming December polls.
IOA president PT Usha lost a controversial election for Sportsperson of Merit, threatening her presidency. Saina Nehwal and three others were elected, joining eight new members eligible for upcoming December polls.
New Delhi: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president PT Usha on Monday failed to get elected as a Sportsperson of Merit (SOM), while former badminton star Saina Nehwal and legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George were among the four women elected to the category following a controversial poll.
Former archer Dola Banerjee and ex-India women's hockey captain Rani Rampal were the other two candidates elected from a field of six.
The election determines four female representatives to the SOM category, which has 80 members—40 men and 40 women—forming part of the IOA electoral roll.
Usha's defeat could complicate her bid to continue as IOA president. Under the association's constitution, a presidential candidate must either be an SOM or a member of the General Assembly. Usha can still qualify for the December 5 Executive Council elections if nominated to the General Assembly by a National Sports Federation (NSF).
However, she is unlikely to secure one of the two representative positions from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). Usha was elected unopposed as the IOA's first woman president in 2022 through the SOM route.
The eight newly elected SOMs, including four men elected unopposed on Saturday, will become members of the IOA General Assembly. They will be eligible to vote and contest in the December 5 elections. Two SOMs, one man and one woman, will also find a place in the IOA Executive Council.
The election was marred by allegations of violations of the Model Code of Conduct. Usha lodged a complaint with Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava, accusing former archer Dola Banerjee of seeking votes through a WhatsApp message.
The message, circulated through an account bearing Banerjee's name, allegedly sought support for the 'New Bharat Panel' and urged voters to elect four named candidates, mentioning their ballot serial numbers and roll numbers.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist weightlifter Sathish Sivalingam also complained to the Electoral Officer, alleging that there was an organised attempt to influence members of the electoral roll in favour of a contesting candidate who was also the IOA president.
He further alleged that IOA resources were being used for this purpose, without explicitly naming Usha in his complaint.