Overview
- The Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit vote produced four female representatives on November 9 — Anju Bobby George, Rani Rampal, Dola Banerjee and Saina Nehwal — while incumbent IOA president PT Usha finished fifth with 40 votes.
- In the men’s category four candidates were declared elected unopposed after eight contenders withdrew, a mass pullout that has raised questions about how the SOM roster was finalised.
- Former sprinter Ashwini Nachappa has publicly alleged that she and other candidates were asked to withdraw under external pressure, and PT Usha has filed formal complaints to the electoral officer citing WhatsApp vote-influence appeals and other campaigning irregularities.
- Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra published an October 31 letter he sent to IOA leaders that flags an unresolved inconsistency between Article 3.7 of the IOA Constitution and the newly ratified SOM rules, saying the electoral officer gave no substantive clarification.
- The IOC has expressed disappointment and urged full compliance with the Olympic Charter, while the Ice Hockey Association’s nomination of PT Usha to the provisional electoral college keeps her in contention pending verification and disposal of objections before the final roll for the December 5 vote.