Objection lodged to PT Usha’s Ice Hockey nomination for IOA’s December 5 elections
PT Usha had a formal objection lodged against her nomination as a representative of the Ice Hockey Association of India for the Indian Olympic Association’s December 5 elections when Supreme Court advocate Atul Kumar submitted the challenge to Electoral Officer Sanjay Kumar Srivastava on November 13. The petition asks the Electoral Officer to verify her eligibility under Article 10.4 of the IOA Constitution, 2026, which requires representatives nominated by National Sports Federations to be members of those bodies.
PT Usha failed to qualify through the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit elections, finishing fifth in the women’s category with 40 votes behind Anju Bobby George (53), Rani Rampal (50), Dola Banerjee (45) and Saina Nehwal (43), with only the top four securing places. Her name later appeared on the provisional Electoral College list as the Ice Hockey Association of India’s female representative alongside Harjinder Singh, giving her an alternative route into the IOA General Body.
Atul Kumar’s representation requests confirmation that Usha is a registered member of IHAI and asks the Electoral Officer to specify the category under which she was admitted. The submission seeks the membership application, the date of approval, the federation’s original membership register and the constitutional provisions that governed her induction.
The objection also targets the documents supporting the nomination, questioning the validity of Form EC-1 submitted on Usha’s behalf. Kumar has asked for verification of the signatures, authorisation and the resolution by which she was selected and has requested that her nomination not be treated as final until those records are examined; he further asked for her removal from the final Electoral College if the mandatory membership requirement is not established.
The challenge coincides with an internal dispute within Indian ice hockey: a faction led by Kunzang Namgyal has separately objected to the nominations of Usha and Harjinder Singh, contending that the leadership which put forward their names lacks a valid mandate. In a letter to the Electoral Officer, Ajit Kakkar, who identifies himself as a vice-president of the Namgyal-led faction, wrote: "It is pertinent to note that Ms. P T Usha is not a member of the Ice Hockey Association of India and yet she has been nominated as one of the delegates thereby falsely implying that she is a member of the nominating federation." Kakkar’s representation also questioned the authority of IHAI president Gurpreet Singh Bakshi and secretary general Harjinder Singh and said their tenure and mandate needed to be established; his faction asserted it had the legitimate authority following elections held on August 2, 2026.
The Sports Ministry does not recognise any national governing body for ice hockey, and rival factions continue to contest control of the federation. Separately, sports administrator KP Rao approached the International Olympic Committee seeking intervention in the IOA election process and the appointment of an observer to oversee the polls; the IOC expressed disappointment, describing the situation as "extremely regrettable and saying it was once again affecting the functioning and reputation of the Olympic Movement in India," and urged those responsible for conducting the elections to ensure full compliance with the Olympic Charter.
Kumar has also sought disclosure of a forensic audit of IOA accounts covering 2019 to 2022, alleging the audit had been completed but its findings were not placed before the Executive Council or General Assembly, and asking that the complete report be examined and any findings referred to the IOA Ethics Commission before nomination scrutiny proceeds. The Electoral Officer is scheduled to examine and dispose of objections before publishing the final electoral roll as the December 5 polls approach.