Ajay Singh beats Olympian Jaslal Pradhan 40-26
Pradhan had support of rival faction after former sports minister Anurag Thakur's inclusion in electoral college was rejected
No observers from the sports ministry and the Indian Olympic Association
Incumbent Ajay Singh, who also serves as managing director of SpiceJet Airlines, was re-elected president of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) for a third consecutive term on Thursday (August 21, 2025). The election followed a delay of over six months due to ongoing legal wrangling and disputes within the federation.
Singh secured a comprehensive victory by defeating Olympian Jaslal Pradhan, a 1982 Asian Games bronze medallist boxer, with a vote count of 40-26. Pradhan had the support of a rival faction after former sports minister Anurag Thakur's inclusion in the electoral college was rejected.
"I'm just happy that we get to continue the good work that the BFI has been doing for the past eight years," Singh was quoted as saying by PTI after his win. He highlighted India's rise in world boxing rankings from number 44 to number four over the past eight years, expressing satisfaction that Indian boxers are now winning more medals and gaining international recognition. "We want to continue that work and ensure that our boxers get many more opportunities and get to bring Olympic medals for the country," Singh added.
New Secretary General, Treasurer Elected
Alongside Ajay Singh's re-election, Pramod Kumar of Uttar Pradesh was elected as the new secretary general, narrowly defeating former BFI treasurer Digvijay Singh of Madhya Pradesh by a margin of 36–30 votes. Kumar replaces Assam's Hemanta Kalita, who became ineligible to contest after completing two consecutive four-year terms and is now serving a mandatory cooling-off period as per federation rules.
The treasurer's position was contested in a three-way fight, with Tamil Nadu's Pon Baskaran securing the post with 28 votes, overcoming Anil Kumar Bohidar and R. Gopu.
No Observers From Sports Ministry, IOA, World Boxing
The elections were conducted under the supervision of returning officer Justice (retd) Rajesh Tandon and BFI interim committee head Fairuz Mohammed of Singapore, deputed by World Boxing as its observer. Notably, World Boxing president Boris van der Vorst and secretary general Mike McAtee, who were originally scheduled to attend as observers, were absent. "Boris was unable to come yesterday, which was the plan. He will be travelling to India in the next few days to finalise the venue for the World Boxing Cup in November," Singh said.
The absence of observers from both the sports ministry and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) drew objections from the rival faction led by Himachal Pradesh unit chief Rajesh Bhandari. Singh stated, "We wrote to them but they declined without giving any reason."
The report added that the ministry is adopting a wait-and-watch approach until the Delhi High Court delivers its verdict on the ongoing legal dispute regarding constitutional amendments introduced by the interim committee. It quoted a ministry source as saying, "We have already told the Delhi High Court that we do not think that the procedure followed in the conduct of these elections is right. We will wait now and see what the court says."
The results remain subject to the final verdict of an ongoing case in the Delhi High Court, where several state units have challenged recent constitutional amendments, with the next hearing scheduled for September 23. Singh acknowledged, "Of course the matter is going on in the court and the court had said in its last hearing that they wanted the elections to go on.
"They also made the result of the elections subject to the final outcome of the case which is what happens every time a legal matter is filed in an election. So all of us will abide by the law of the land."
In addition to his re-election victory, Singh, who was first elected in 2016, reaffirmed his commitment to grassroots development. "My foremost commitment is to ensure that every ounce of energy now goes into strengthening grassroots programs, empowering our junior and youth athletes, and building on India's growing stature in world boxing," he stated.
The elections were originally scheduled for March 28 but experienced repeated delays due to a series of petitions, appeals, and counter-appeals that prolonged the process.
(With PTI inputs)
