Former cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin’s last-minute withdrawal from the race to head the Badminton Association of India enabled incumbent V.K. Verma to be elected unopposed to a fourth consecutive term on Sunday, exceeding the 12-year limit set by Union sports minister M.S. Gill for heads of national sports bodies.
Azharuddin, who surprised everyone by announcing his desire to contest, decided not to file his nomination after failing to secure a court stay order on the election. BAI’s annual general meeting also nominated national coach Pullela Gopichand and former shuttler Ami Ghia as players’ representatives to its executive committee with voting rights, and named three new secretaries. BAI had refused to fall in line with the sports ministry ever since the new guidelines were announced, and also said it would not take financial help from the government in future.
Though no one from the Azharuddin camp went on record, one of them claimed that Sunday’s AGM was far from a one-sided affair. “There indeed was debate on a number of issues and Verma’s decision to appoint three secretaries was also illegal since the BAI constitution doesn’t have any such provision. Verma had to name three secretaries since he had to keep them happy,” he said.
The Indian Olympic Association and other outfits resisting the guidelines were overjoyed, with IOA senior vice-president V.K. Malhotra describing Mr Verma’s re-election as “a slap on the government’s face.”