By Sahil Kohli
New Delhi [India], August 21 : Following his election to a third successive term as the president of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI), Ajay Singh expressed that the victory is a "moment of satisfaction" and expressed his commitment to give the Indian boxers "the very best".
The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) on Thursday concluded its keenly contested elections with Ajay Singh emerging victorious in the Presidential race. In a one-sided fight, he secured 40 votes against challenger Jaslal Pradhan's 26, reaffirming the support of state associations and extending his leadership of Indian boxing. The elections, conducted with participation from 34 state associations representing 66 votes, also decided the other key office bearers - Secretary General, Treasurer, and Vice Presidents.
Speaking to ANI after the election, he expressed happiness over his election and pointed out the immense progress Indian boxers have made at the world level over the last few years.
"This is a moment of satisfaction. Indian boxers have been doing exceptionally well over last eight years, and our global rank has raised from 44 to 4. Our boxers are shining on the world stage. This is an indication of work well done. Of course, we need to do much more and make sure our rank goes even higher. India also needs to win Olympic medals (aftera medal-less Paris 2024). That is our responsibility," he said.
Ajay said that Indian boxers will have the "very best of training, nutrition, sports science and international experience."
"Indian boxers will have nothing lacking, with the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games (both next year) coming up, and the Olympics (in 2028 at Los Angeles) coming up. We are going to host the World Boxing Cup in November and the World Boxing Congress, where the whole world of boxing will be in India. India will continue to play a big role in world boxing," he added.
The BFI elections mark the end of a challenging period for Indian Boxing ,marked by various legal disputes and internal divisions.
These struggles started when the previous leadership's term ended on February 2, 2025. Elections originally scheduled for March 28 were postponed due to legal disputes and internal divisions. Tensions escalated when the designated Returning Officer, former Delhi High Court judge RK Gauba, resigned amid accusations of a defamation campaign.
To stabilise the situation, World Boxing appointed an Interim Committee in April 2025 to manage daily affairs and later set an August 31 deadline for conducting fresh elections to restore normalcy within the federation.
Notably, on August 7, the Delhi High Court heard four writ petitions filed by the Delhi Amateur Boxing Association, Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association, Gujarat Boxing Association, and Madhya Pradesh Boxing Association in relation to the upcoming elections of the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) scheduled for August 21.
As per the release from BFI, the Delhi Amateur Boxing Association specifically sought an interim stay on the conduct of the elections, while the associations from Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh challenged the validity of the BFI's newly adopted constitution, alleging that it is ultra vires. These associations also prayed for a direction to appoint a new Returning Officer for the said elections.
The High Court, however, did not grant any interim relief to the petitioners. The High Court had, however, directed that the elections shall remain subject to the outcome of the present writ petitions, the BFI release said. Senior Counsel appearing for the Interim Committee of BFI submitted that 30 out of 34 State and Union Territory member units have approved the amended Constitution, which has also received approval from World Boxing, the international governing body.
It was further submitted that the majority of the member units are in favour of conducting the elections expeditiously. Advocate Parth Goswami, counsel appearing on behalf of the Interim Committee of BFI, confirmed that the Hon'ble Court has not stayed the elections and has directed the respondents to file their respective replies. The matter remains pending for further consideration before the Hon'ble Court, the BFI release added.
Speaking of boxer's fine performances despite these recent administrative and legal hurdles, Ajay said that this spoke of the "resillience" of boxers.
"If you see how well Indian juniors and sub-juniors did in Jordan, U19 and U22 teams did, there is nothing lacking. Despite all the problems, we ensured that boxing is never going to be impacted as they got the best practice, training and selection process," he added.
Earlier in August, the Indian U19 and U22 Boxing Championships ended with India getting 27 medals across both age groups. The Indian U19 boxers secured 14 medals - three golds, seven silvers, and four bronzes andthe U22 boxers clinched one gold, four silvers and eight bronzes.
Also, Pramod Kumar, who was also elected as the Secretary General, called it a "win for Indian boxing".
"I knew if I would win, the sport would be saved from the politics which was going on. The way politics happened, it was saddening. The credit for this win goes to the boxers, it was their support that gave me the win," he added.
Pramod also expressed his committment for holding as many tournaments as possible.
"I would try to organise as many tournaments as possible and hold as much as open national tournaments as nationals. After cricket, boxers practice the hardest, but they do not to play and participate in the tournament so much," he added.
Fairuz Mohamed, the BFI Interim Committee chairperson and observer, World Boxing for this whole electoral process, also expressed his satisfaction with the election to ANI.
"We can happily say that it has concluded successfully with these elections, with an approved constitution by World Boxing. It was carried out fair, transparent and exemplary manner by honourable retired judge Rajesh (Tandon). We congratulate all the winners of the elections and trust the leadership of Ajay Singh. Under him, the Indian boxing will move even more. Also, with this new team and leadership, the government of India, the Union Sports Ministry, will work closely to support the BFI. We wish the federation all the best," said Fairuz.
In the contest for Secretary General, Pramod Kumar of Uttar Pradesh, who is known for his tireless efforts in ensuring all the domestic national championships take place smoothly, triumphed over Digvijay Singh, the former treasurer, polling 36 votes to 30. The Treasurer's position was a three-way fight which saw Pon Baskaran secure the post with 28 votes, defeating Anil Kumar Bohidar and R. Gopu.
Overall, the elections brought clarity to the future of Indian boxing administration. With Mr. Singh at the helm, the federation is set to build on a period of stability and progress that has seen Indian boxing reach new heights.
Under his leadership as BFI President and later as Chairman of the Interim Committee, the sport successfully navigated a challenging phase, with the timely organisation of national championships across all levels and categories, ensuring continuity for athletes. At the same time, India registered impressive triumphs on the international stage, reinforcing the country's growing stature in world boxing.
The conclusion of the Interim Committee's tenure now paves the way for a full-fledged leadership team to take charge.