New Delhi: Squash Racquet Federation of India (SRFI) chief Narayana Ramachandran is set to be elected unopposed as the president of Indian Olympic Association in the polls to be held here next month as he was the only candidate to file nomination papers for the top post on Saturday.
Ramachandran was the lone candidate to file the nomination for the president's post for the February 9 elections which will also clear the decks for India's return to the Olympic fold after the IOA was suspended by International Olympic Committee on December 4 in 2012.
The deadline for filing nomination papers for various post ended on Saturday. Ramachandran, the brother of BCCI President N Srinivasan, has been treasurer of IOA from 2008-12 and also in the executive council of 2012 led by Abhay Singh Chautala though the IOC did not recognise it.
Ramachandran is currently serving as president of World Squash Federation as well as chief of SRFI. Hockey India Associate vice-president Rajeev Mehta will also be elected unopposed as secretary general. All India Tennis Association chief Anil Khanna will take over as IOA treasurer while Virendra Nanavati will be elected unopposed to the lone post of senior vice-president.
The office bearers to be elected on February 9 will hold their posts till December 2016. Nine persons filed their nominations for the eight posts of vice-presidents for which elections will be held unless somebody decides to withdraw his or her nomination which can be done on February 1 and 2.
Six candidates filed nomination papers for six posts of joint secretaries while 10 filed nominations for 10 posts of Executive Council members, according to the notification issued by Returning Officer Justice (Retd.) S N Sapra. "There will be elections only for vice-presidents. All other posts will not have elections," a top IOA official told PTI.
The official also said that none from the executive council of 2012 led by Chautala which the IOC refused to recognise filed nominations for various posts. "All those who filed nominations for February 9 elections were either office bearers or Executive Council Members of 2008-12," he said.
It is also learnt that some sort of a compromise was reached between the factions led by Chautala and IOC member in India Randhir Singh. Randhir's daughter Sunaina Kumari, who is currently Bowling Federation of India chief, will be one of the six joint secretaries.
Chautala, who cannot stand in the elections under the recent amendments of IOA constitution on the diktat of IOC to bar charge-framed persons from contesting polls, was authorised by his faction to choose the candidates for various posts, including those of president, secretary general and treasurer.
IOC Director of NOC Relations Pere Miro, IOC Ethics Commission member Francisco J Elizalde from Philippines and Olympic Council of Asia Director General Husain Al Musallam will be the observers from the world body in the elections as well as the Special GBM which will precede the polls on February 9.
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