PT Usha Faces IOA Election Setback as Saina, Anju, Dola And Rani Win Women’s Sportspersons Of Merit Seats

PT Usha's bid to stay in the Indian Olympic Association power race took a hit on Monday after she failed to get elected as one of the four women's Sportspersons of Merit in a field of six after a controversial election.

London Olympics bronze medallist Saina Nehwal made the cut. Legendary long jumper Anju Bobby George, former archer Dola Banerjee and ex-Indian women's hockey skipper Rani Rampal were also elected as SOMs, AFP reported. Usha is a former Asian Games gold medallist and the current IOA president.

The result matters because, under the IOA Constitution, a presidential candidate must either be an SOM or a member of the General Assembly. Her defeat now leaves her dependent on a National Sports Federation nomination if she wants to contest the IOA elections scheduled for December 5.

Women’s Merit Race

The four women's SOMs were elected on Monday. Nehwal joined Anju Bobby George, Banerjee and Rampal in the final list from the six-candidate field.

The women's vote came from a fixed electoral roll. Eighty SOMs—40 men and 40 women—form the electoral roll for the election of the four female representatives.

That made the contest a closed race among former athletes already recognised under the SOM category. Usha's failure to secure one of those four places is the central setback.

Men Elected Unopposed

The men's race was far smoother. On Saturday, November 7, Olympic medallists Gagan Narang, Vijender Singh and Yogeshwar Dutt, along with former paddler Kamlesh Mehta, were elected unopposed as the four male SOMs.

Their path cleared after eight other candidates withdrew from the race. The withdrawals included Athletics Federation of India president Adille Sumariwalla, former paddler Achanta Sharath Kamal and former shuttler B Sai Praneeth.

That completed the list of eight elected SOMs. Four men and four women will now move into the next layer of the IOA structure.

Usha’s Next Hurdle

Usha can contest the IOA Executive Council elections on Saturday, December 5, only if a National Sports Federation nominates her to the General Assembly. That possibility appears unlikely.

She is not expected to be one of the two representatives from the Athletics Federation of India. That leaves her with a narrowing route back into the contest for the new IOA set-up.

The IOA Constitution says a presidential candidate must either be an SOM or a member of the General Assembly. In 2022, Usha became the IOA's first woman president after she was elected unopposed through the SOM route.

The eight elected SOMs will join the IOA General Assembly, giving them voting rights and making them eligible to contest the December 5 elections. Two SOMs—one man and one woman—will also become members of the IOA Executive Council.

Complaint Over WhatsApp

The SOM election was also shadowed by a complaint from Usha. She lodged it with Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava and accused former archer Dola Banerjee of violating the Model Code of Conduct by circulating a WhatsApp message seeking votes.

In her complaint, Usha objected to a message sent from an account bearing Banerjee's name. The message sought support for the 'New Bharat Panel'.

Usha's objection went beyond the slogan. The message asked voters to elect four named candidates and listed their ballot serial numbers and roll numbers, turning the women's SOM election into a fresh flashpoint in the IOA battle.