Anurag Thakur’s Exclusion From Final Boxing Federation of India Electoral College List Triggers Row

Attempts to include Anurag Thakur at the electoral college for the next elections of the India boxing federation (BFI) were canceled after the name of the former Minister of Sports was not included in the final list approved by the return agent on Thursday. An electoral college of 60 members, published by President Ajay Singh, said on Wednesday that Thakur was “ineligible” for the voting process of the Federation, because his appointment was in violation of the opinion dated 07.03.2025 as well as the National Sports Code.

BFI secretary Hemanta Kalita later published another list that included the name of the former Minister of Sports.

But the judge (Retd.) In his order, RK Gauba, the return officer, said that Kalita’s list could not be implemented.

“Having heard all the concerns, the undersigned is of the opinion that the list of electoral colleges prepared by Mr. Kalita, the secretary general outgoing from the BFI cannot be implemented for the unambiguous rules which constitute the” overall powers of supervision “on the functioning of BFI and also the responsibility for” sores of office / members “of the EC, order, read.

The opinion of March 7, sent to all affiliated state associations, had mentioned that “only the members of the good and duly elected during the electoral aga (duly notified to BFI) of state units affiliated to the BFI are authorized to represent their respective union states / territories”.

It is planned that the faction of Thakur, which had approached Gauba earlier in the day, will now have legal action.

“We met and spoke with the return officer today. He gave him our representation. We hope,” said Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association (HPBA), Rajesh Bhandari, in PTI.

“We will ask for a judicial intervention if necessary. Anurag Thakur is a member of the Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association. He has been a member since 2008,” he added.

The final list of the electoral college approved by the return manager also omitted the two names sent by the Delhi Amateur Boxing Association – Rohit Jainendra Jain and Neeraj Kantt.

The appointment window for the election will remain open from March 14 to 16.

The former president of the BCCI, Thakur, deputy of the BJP, was to go to the post of president of the BFI.

The HPBA had appointed Thakur for the elections.

The HPBA president Bhandari, also vice-president of the BFI, was the other member of the State.

The final list of candidates who disputed the elections will be published on March 22.

The BFI, which was managed by the ad hoc committee of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for not having kept its elections on the due date of February 2, had decided to hold its polls on March 28 after the High Court of Delhi aroused the IOA order.

(With the exception of the title, this story has not been published by NDTV staff and is published from a unionized flow.)