IOA elections: Candidate questions validity of SOMs contesting polls, RO rejects claim

The Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit, including newly-elected President PT Usha, were not eligible to contest IOA polls, claimed a losing candidate saying their membership was not ratified by the general assembly before filing nomination papers.

Suman Kaushik, who lost the joint secretary (female) election to Alaknanda Ashok, raised the objection just after the general house of the IOA assembled but returning officer dismissed it and went ahead with the election process.

Kaushik said an SOM was not eligible to file nomination papers before the General Assembly ratifies him or her as a member.

"Since the SOMs have not been ratified by the General Council yet and have not been approved as members yet, how can they be considered eligible to submit nomination to contest election for office bearers of IOA, either as a candidate or as a voter," Kaushik said.

"Furthermore, owing to same logic, they cannot act as proposer and seconder, as the case may be," she wrote in a letter addressed to outgoing IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta with copies to Sinha and justice (retd) Rao.

"Hearing before the Hon'ble Supreme Court was fixed for 07.12.2022. However, date has now been changed to 10.01.2023, therefore we are raising this objection here before the House."

Usha became a member of the electoral college on the basis of her selection as one of the eight SOMs by the newly-formed Athletes Commission. A candidate as well as his/her proposer and seconder should be a member of the electoral college.

Returning Officer Sinha though dismissed the objection and conducted the elections. He later told PTI that he just followed the order of Supreme Court.

The first item on the agenda of Saturday's General Body meeting was the ratification of the SOMs. But Kaushik contended that the ratification should have been done prior to the filing of nomination papers.

"Without proper ratification, the entire involvement of SOMs (in the elections) is entirely invalid as per the constitution of IOA," she wrote.

Asked about the matter after the elections were over, Returning Officer Sinha said: "Everything was done according to Supreme Court orders. Ratification was done before the elections. There was no issue."

"It (selection of SOMs) was ratified, approved, the whole schedule was given, the electoral college was also part of it. Everything was done, it was only for ratification."

Asked about the objection during the press conference, joint secretary (male) Kalyan Chaubey said that the question should be asked to the Returning Officer.

"The answer to this question should be given by the returning officer since it was under his purview the election was conducted. It was also under the orders of the Supreme Court," said Chaubey, the president of All India Football Federation.

"So, we are not in a condition to comment on this. Definitely, your concern is also our concern," said Chaubey, who answered most of the questions fielded to the newly-elected executive committee.