J&K football association to hold fresh elections on November 25 following court order

Representative Image: Players in action on a football ground in the Valley with the JKFA set to hold fresh elections on November 25. | Photo Credit: PTI

Fresh elections to the Jammu and Kashmir Football Association (JKFA) will be held on November 25, after a court directed the Sports Council to conduct the polls.

Last week, the court of the 4th Additional Sessions Judge, Srinagar, instructed the Secretary of the Sports Council to conduct the JKFA elections within three weeks.

The polls to choose a new executive body are needed to align the Union Territory’s football governing body with the AIFF constitution and the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, which came into effect on January 1, 2026.

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“The Hon’ble court has directed the Secretary, Jammu and Kashmir Sports Council, to appoint a returning officer for holding elections within three weeks,” Advocate Sameer Hamid, who appeared for petitioners Fayaz Ahmad Sofi and others, said.

Sofi, a former office-bearer of the association, said the Sports Council Secretary convened a meeting of stakeholders on November 2, at which the election date was fixed.

“The meeting was attended by a delegation of the AIFF and more than 150 football stakeholders representing different District Football Associations, zones and football institutions from the Kashmir Valley and Jammu Province.

“During the consultative meeting, discussions were held regarding the election process, eligibility of voters and other relevant matters concerning the smooth and transparent conduct of elections,” Sofi said.

Apart from Sofi, former India international Abdul Majeed Kakroo was also a petitioner in the case, which was filed in 2023 seeking elections that were long overdue.