4 years on, Chandigarh Olympic Association to hold elections on Nov 21

UT Deputy Commissioner-appointed administrator Hari Kallikkat has decided to hold the elections for choosing the new house of the controversial Chandigarh Olympic Association (COA) on November 21.

The polling will be held from 11 am to 3 pm, followed by the announcement of the result by 5 pm on the same day. However, a problem may occur even before the day of the elections, as the final electoral roll will be announced on October 31. The electoral roll is a bone of contention for the “power hungry” sports organisations. Recently, these organisations were asked to submit their verified documents to a designated office-bearer.

Now, as per the direction of the authorities concerned, the draft electoral roll will be issued on October 17, while the submission of claims and objections by the organisations will be allowed till October 24 (5 pm). The decision on claims and objections will be taken on October 28 and the electoral roll will be released on October 31.

The format of nomination papers, as per the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), will be issued on November 8 and 9 (11 am to 3 pm). The nominations will be received on November 13 (11 am to 3 pm) and scrutinised by 4 pm on the same day. The withdrawal of nomination will be allowed till November 15 (3 pm), followed by approval of the list of the contesting candidates by 4 pm.

High Court had ordered poll in January

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Hearing a writ petition filed by former COA secretary Raghumit Singh Sodhi in 2021, Justice Kuldeep Tiwari of the Punjab & Haryana High Court had, in January this year, ordered fresh elections to the association and directed the Chandigarh Deputy Commissioner to appoint an administrator for the purpose. On February 10, the Deputy Commissioner appointed Hari Kallikkat as the administrator.

In March, the Chandigarh Sports Council invited associations for a meeting to discuss the election-related process under the chairmanship of Kallikkat. The meeting saw high drama and levelling of serious allegations.

In May, Kallikkat appointed two DANICS officers - Khushpreet Kaur and Amit - for carrying forward the work of conducting the elections. While Khushpreet has been tasked with preparing the electoral roll for conducting the COA elections as per the rules and regulations of National Sports Code, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and instructions of Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Amit has been given the responsibility of the returning officer.

Notably, the 2021 electoral roll has been considered for the current elections. In 2021, two separate elections were held under the witness of same observer. The problem resurfaced before the completion of the last term, as many members moved court, alleging ‘malpractice’ while allotting affiliation to sports bodies. In the process, many office-bearers parted ways and the house picked new office-bearers.

A majority of the COA elections and the terms of its office-bearers have been marred with controversies. Politics prevailed in the association, as the focus remained on grabbing power.

The last Chandigarh Games were conducted in 2005, and a mini Olympics were conducted in 2012. Thereafter, the association remained active only on political front. In past, the UT Sports Department had written to the COA over non-submission of utilisation certificates (UC) for previously allotted funds. In 2021, a faction elected Vikram Singh as its president. Thereafter, a group led by Amarinder Singh Bazaz held separate poll.