PT Usha fails to secure women's SOM seat, threatening bid for second IOA presidency term

PT Usha lost one of the four women's Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) positions in the Indian Olympic Association's SOM election on Monday, less than a month before the IOA's December 5 elections, dealing a blow to her bid for a second term as president.

Saina Nehwal, Anju Bobby George, Dola Banerjee and Rani Rampal were elected to the four women's SOM posts from a field of six candidates, while PT Usha and former basketball player Anitha Paul Durai failed to win seats. The eight elected SOM representatives — four men and four women — become members of the IOA General Assembly and are therefore eligible to contest and vote in the December 5 Executive Council election. Usha previously entered the General Assembly via the SOM route and was elected IOA president in December 2022, becoming the first woman to head the country's Olympic body.

Usha's defeat has put her hopes of securing a second term in serious doubt; having failed to enter the General Assembly through the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit route, she can contest the December 5 elections only if a National Sports Federation nominates her to the General Assembly, a possibility described as unlikely, according to PTI news agency. The General Assembly is the electoral body that will choose the IOA's Executive Council for the 2026-30 term.

The women's SOM contest was held online, with 80 existing SOMs — 40 men and 40 women — eligible to vote. The result followed a formal complaint Usha lodged with the Electoral Officer a day earlier, accusing former archer Dola Banerjee of breaching the Model Code of Conduct by circulating a WhatsApp message. The message, from an account bearing Banerjee's name, reportedly sought votes for a group called the 'New Bharat Panel' and named four candidates with their ballot serial numbers and roll numbers, urging voters to elect them.

In her complaint Usha cited Clause 1.9 of the Model Code of Conduct, issued on October 30, which she said "prohibits candidate promotion through publicity, including new media and social networking platforms." She also referenced clauses that require candidates to campaign fairly and maintain dignity and respect towards fellow contestants, asked for an investigation and for appropriate action if a violation was established, and attached a screenshot of the communication. There was no publicly available ruling on the complaint before the voting outcome was announced.

The women's election was the only contested segment after four male SOM candidates were elected unopposed on Saturday. Olympic medallists Gagan Narang, Yogeshwar Dutt and Vijender Singh, along with former table tennis player Kamlesh Mehta, secured the men's positions following the withdrawal of eight candidates, a series of withdrawals that fuelled controversy around the process.

Former National Convener of Clean Sports India BVP Rao alleged some candidates withdrew after receiving calls from the Sports Ministry and questioned the circumstances, saying athletes should be allowed to exercise their electoral rights without pressure. A Sports Ministry source rejected those allegations as baseless, maintaining that the IOA elections were conducted independently and that the ministry had not interfered. The 'New Bharat Panel' message was another flashpoint amid separate claims of pressure and interference that have not been independently established.

The December 5 election will determine the IOA leadership for the next four-year term. Gagan Narang, one of the four male SOMs elected unopposed, is identified in reporting as a prominent figure in the emerging presidential contest.