Boxing Federation rejects Anurag Thakur's nomination for president's post

The core issue behind Anurag Thakur’s rejection appears to be his membership status within the HPBA.

The Boxing Federation of India (BFI) has rejected former Sports Minister Anurag Thakur’s nomination for its presidential elections scheduled for March 28. Thakur, who is a five-time Member of Parliament from Hamirpur and also former Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, had submitted his nomination to challenge incumbent president Ajay Singh of SpiceJet.

BFI officials announced the finalized 60-member electoral college after scrutiny, but Thakur’s name was notably absent from the list. The federation cited violations of its March 7 notice and the National Sports Development Code of India, 2011, as reasons for the rejection.

“Mr. Anurag Singh Thakur (Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association) – The State Unit had sent the name; however, he is found ineligible for violation of Boxing Federation of India notice dated 07.03.2025 and National Sports Development Code of India, 2011,” the BFI explained in its statement.

The rejection has come during ongoing administrative chaos in Indian boxing. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) recently attempted to establish an ad hoc committee to oversee boxing operations after BFI failed to conduct timely elections. The Delhi High Court subsequently stayed this IOA order on March 4, labeling it “arbitrary and illegal”.

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Ineligibility stemmed from membership requirements

The core issue behind Thakur’s rejection appears to be his membership status within the Himachal Pradesh Boxing Association, which had nominated him alongside Vice-President Rajesh Bhandari.

A BFI source clarified: “Mr. Thakur is not an elected member of the Himachal Pradesh state body, that’s why his name has been rejected. It is the job of the BFI to scrutinize all the names and send the list of eligible candidates to the Returning Officer, who will now upload the list.”

The March 7 notice had explicitly stated that only “bonafide and duly elected members” of state units affiliated with BFI would be authorized to represent their respective regions and Thakur’s case wasn’t isolated, as the federation also rejected nominations from Larry Kharpran (Meghalaya) and Asish Kumar Saha (Tripura) on similar grounds.

The elections, originally due by February 2, will determine who leads Indian boxing.

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