The Electoral Officer of the Indian Olympic Association has accepted the nominations of president PT Usha and Ice Hockey Association of India Secretary General Harjinder Singh to the electoral college for the December 5 electionsThe decision came after objections were raised over their eligibility to represent the federation in the IOA General Body.
A faction of the IHAI had challenged Usha’s inclusion, claiming that the former track and field athlete was not a member of the national ice hockey federation and, therefore, could not represent it in the IOA electionsThe objections were submitted on November 13 against the provisional electoral college, which listed both Usha and Harjinder as IHAI members.
Following the complaints, the Electoral Officer sought a response from the federation and called its representatives for a personal hearing on November 14Harjinder and Srinivas Kotni appeared at the hearing and maintained that both Usha and the current Secretary General were active members of the association.
The representatives also submitted an affidavit, attested by a notary on November 14, along with supporting documents and clarifications to address the objections.
During the proceedings, the Electoral Officer also sought clarification from the IOA on whether an individual associated with one sport could become a member of another National Sports Federation (NSF)The IOA clarified that membership of another NSF did not automatically disqualify an individual from being part of a different federation.
According to the Assistant Returning Officer’s decision, shared with PTI, neither the IOA Constitution nor the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, and its related rules provide a clear distinction on this matter.
Article 10.4 of the IOA Constitution, ratified in September, states that representatives nominated by each unit or NSF must be members of that particular federationAfter reviewing the objections, documents and submissions from the IHAI representatives, the Electoral Officer rejected the complaints and accepted the nominations of Usha and Harjinder.
Usha’s nomination is important for her bid to continue as IOA presidentShe had earlier failed to secure election as one of the four female Sportspersons of Merit (SOMs)On Thursday, the IHAI nominated her as one of its two representatives to the IOA General Body, keeping her re-election bid alive.
Former IOA president Narinder Batra had also raised objections to the nominations of Usha and Executive Committee member Harpal Singh, who was nominated by Ski and Snowboard India.
Batra had written to Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava, seeking verification of Usha’s original membership application, the date she joined the IHAI, her membership category and the specific provision of the federation’s constitution under which she was admitted.
The Electoral Officer is scheduled to publish the final electoral roll on Sunday evening ahead of the December 5 elections.
