New Delhi: Indian boxing’s Interim Committee Chairman Ajay Singh has resigned from his post to contest the upcoming federation elections, where World Boxing President Boris van der Vorst will be an observer.
According to the PTI report, he resigned from his post on Friday, a day after the Interim Committee formally announced the election date, which is scheduled for August 21.
Singh wrote that he’s pleased to inform that the elections of the Boxing Federation of India have now been formally announced and are scheduled to be held on August 21, and he intends to contest the elections.
“I believe it is appropriate and in the interest of fairness and transparency that I step down from the position of Chairman of the Interim Committee with immediate effect,” Singh wrote in a letter dated August 1, according to PTI.
World Boxing, which formed the Interim panel in April to manage Indian boxing’s daily affairs after months of internal problems, has accepted his resignation on Saturday. The international boxing body has appointed Singapore Boxing President Fairuz Mohammed as the new Interim Chairman.
President van der Vorst wrote in his reply to Singh that they respect his decision and appoint Fairuz Mohammed, President of Singapore Boxing, as Interim Committee Chairman to ensure continuity in the federation.
Boris van der Vorst also confirmed that he and acting Secretary General Mike McAtee will be present as observers during the elections.
Singh is also the Chairman of SpiceJet Airlines and has already completed two four-year terms as BFI President and is now looking for his third and last stint, as permitted under the 2011 National Sports Development Code of India.
Anurag Thakur set to contest elections
Anurag Thakur will be Singh’s main opponent, as the Himachal Pradesh Boxing will once again nominate the former Sports Minister’s name as its representative. He was in the fray when the elections were initially scheduled for March 28, but his name didn’t appear in the Electoral College finalised by Singh and subsequently approved by the Returning Officer.
Singh had said that Thakur was not eligible to represent Himachal Pradesh, due to an official directive stating that only “bonafide and duly elected members during the election AGM (duly notified to BFI) of the State Units affiliated with the BFI shall be authorised to represent their respective States/Union Territories”. The exclusion of Thakur from the elections led his faction to initiate legal proceedings, which are still ongoing.
(With inputs from PTI)