Boxing India calls key meeting on June 17

Embroiled in an administrative tug of war, Boxing India (BI) will hold an Executive Council meeting on June 17, in which conducting elections for the posts of President and Secretary General would be on the agenda.

"An Executive Council meeting of Boxing India is hereby convened on May 17 to be held in New Delhi. All the Executive members are requested to make it convenient to attend the meeting," read a letter sent out by BI's acting President Meren Paul to its members.

The call for this meeting has come after the International Boxing Association (AIBA) warned that the country's pugilists will "suffer" ahead of this year's Olympic qualifiers if the warring factions do not resolve their differences and get the federation registered.

On the agenda during the meeting will be "registration of the federation under the Societies Act, recognition of the BI by the Government of India and Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and election to the posts of President and Secretary General" among others.

The President and Secretary General's positions have been lying vacant after Sandeep Jajodia and Jay Kowli were respectively ousted during a Special General Meeting last month. The June 17 meeting will also finalise the date for BI's Annual General Meeting.

"We are not pleased at all with whatever is happening in India. We do not know who to talk to as Boxing India has not even been registered as yet. We gave affiliation to it in November last year and it is disappointing that it is still not a registered body," AIBA Communication Director William Louis-Marie had said earlier.

Jajodia was ousted after an overwhelming vote against him in the No Confidence Motion was brought in, a move which was termed "illegal" by the incumbent. He lost the motion 2-55 after 57 of the 64 general body members voted against him.

AIBA has made it clear that the boxers will be the biggest losers if the pandemonium persists.

BI was instituted in September last year after elections monitored by International Boxing Association. But it had been struggling to run the show smoothly owing to the IOA's adamant refusal to grant recognition to it.

Jajodia and Kowli were ousted from their positions owing to discontent against them in the state units, which complained that the two were not able to do their jobs as was expected of them.

The revolting state units have claimed that they did not violate any norms in removing the duo and kept the world body apprised of the situation, according to reports.