Ajay Singh has been re-elected as the President of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for a third straight term, defeating Olympian Jaslal Pradhan in the long-delayed elections held on Thursday. Singh, also the chairman and managing director of SpiceJet, won by a margin of 40-26.
Legal tussles delayed polls
The BFI elections, initially scheduled for March, were postponed by more than six months due to multiple petitions and counter appeals challenging amendments to the federation’s constitution. The prolonged legal wrangling kept the sport’s administrative future in limbo, until the polls were finally conducted under the supervision of returning officer Justice Rajesh Tandon.
International observers absent
While World Boxing had appointed interim committee chief Fairuz Mohammed of Singapore as an observer, its president Boris Van Der Vorst and secretary general Mike McAtee did not attend. The Sports Ministry and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) also refrained from sending observers, reflecting the contentious build-up to the elections.
New faces in key posts
Alongside Singh’s re-election, Pramod Kumar of Uttar Pradesh was chosen as the new general secretary, replacing Hemanta Kalita of Assam, who was disqualified after completing two consecutive terms. Pon Baskaran of Tamil Nadu was elected treasurer. The committee acknowledged that the finality of the results depends on the outcome of a case pending in the Delhi High Court.
A decisive win
Singh’s victory over Pradhan, a 1982 Asian Games bronze medallist, marks a continuation of his leadership at a crucial time for Indian boxing, which faces both governance challenges and high expectations in the run-up to global competitions. The re-elected president now shoulders the task of restoring stability and steering the federation towards athlete development and international success.
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