BFI polls get murkier as Thakur's name scrapped from electoral college

The way things stand at the moment, another National Sports Federation seems to be heading towards a stalemate.

- Indraneel Das

It looks like a full-blown battle in Boxing Federation of India between two factions as elections loom. In a dramatic turn of events, former sports minister Anurag Thakur's name was scrapped from the Electoral College list signed by the president of Boxing Federation of India, Ajay Singh, on Wednesday. This was a day after the Thakur faction had hosted an informal get-together where current and former top sports administrators of the country were present. Hours later, BFI secretary general Hemanta Kalita brought out a list that included Anurag Thakur's name. The deletion of the name from the electoral rolls will give a new twist to the BFI election as Thakur was expected to contest for the president's post. The election is on March 28. If Ajay Singh, who is also running for a third term, manages to keep Thakur out, it will be considered a major victory for his faction. Though some lauded his efforts, it needs to be seen how it pans out.