Rajesh Bhandari appointed acting president at EC meeting; Ajay Singh camp rejects proceedings

Ajay Singh (Image credit: X)

NEW DELHI: In a fresh escalation of the power struggle within the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), a faction opposed to president Ajay Singh has claimed that eight executive committee (EC) members have endorsed its decisions, revoked secretary general Pramod Kumar’s suspension and appointed senior vice-president Rajesh Bhandari as acting president.The group said the resolutions were passed at an EC meeting held recently in the Capital, ahead of the Oct 28 special general meeting (SGM) where a no-confidence motion against Singh is scheduled to be considered.

However, BFI executive director Col (retd) Arun Malik rejected the meeting and its decisions, saying the federation had not issued any notice in accordance with its constitution. “The BFI constitution expressly requires the date, venue and agenda of an EC meeting to be confirmed by the president and requires meetings to be convened under the president’s advice,” Malik told TOI, adding that Singh had not been notified.Malik asserted that BFI did not recognise Bhandari’s appointment or any resolutions passed at the purported meeting.Those listed as present at the EC were vice-presidents Leonardo Daniel Oliver D Gama and Bhandari, Kumar, treasurer Pon Bhaskaran, joint secretaries Swapan Banerjee and Teli Khai, and executive members Pheiroijam Dhanajit Singh and Kamal Ch Goyary. Bhaskaran attended online.The minutes state that the committee unanimously approved the proposed no-confidence motion for consideration and voting by the general body.

It also revoked Kumar’s suspension, endorsed the formation of a constitution committee and approved Bhandari’s appointment as acting president, citing D Gama’s health issues. The resolutions further challenged the constitutional amendments adopted at the Aug 27 SGM, alleging that state units’ consent had been obtained under duress.

Malik defended the Aug constitutional amendments, saying they were approved by the general body with the requisite quorum and overwhelming majority, subsequently published on BFI’s official websites and notified to World Boxing.The confrontation follows the suspension of Kumar by Singh and the secretary general’s subsequent counter-order against the president. Kumar’s faction has alleged governance and administrative irregularities, while Singh’s camp has questioned the validity of the proposed no-confidence process.