In keeping with its claim that it administers a peculiar sport to not comply with the National Sports Development Code of India 2011, Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) is preparing to welcome its fourth President in less than five years. The EFI executive committee will soon have to meet – either physically or digitally – to nominate Lt. Gen. SS Mishra as its new head.
With the incumbent Lt. Gen. R Gopal likely to put in his papers after just over a year as EFI President since he has retired from the Army as its Quarter Master General (QMG), the Federation will quickly nominate his successor Lt. Gen. Mishra to take over the reins in what appears to be an Ex-Officio position reserved for the serving QMG.
A fortnight ago, executive committee members received an e-mail indicating that the membership sub-committee had recommended the membership of Lt. Gen. Mishra. The executive committee members were given two days to respond to the e-mail. It is another thing that the EFI constitution mandates a 15-day notice is necessary for an executive committee meeting.
EFI will be violating its constitution that says that once the Executive ratifies the recommendation of the screening panel, the General Assembly will be informed. “The members thus ratified will enjoy all rights and benefits, including voting rights and right to contest elections,” it says, indicating that only after the General Assembly is informed can one hold an elected position.
The general body elects a President for a term of four years but none of the QMGs has shown a desire to remain EFI President upon retiring from the Army. Curiously, if membership is granted in a tearing hurry, EFI has acted even quicker in posting the name of an erstwhile President as a defaulter, who has not paid membership fee of Rs. 1000 for 2019-20.
Be that as it may, Lt. Gen. Rajeev Kanitkar (September 27, 2015), Lt. Gen. Ashok Ambre (September 30, 2017) and Lt. Gen. Gopal R (September 29, 2019) were all unopposed elected as Presidents, though Lt. Gopal assumed office on March 29, 2019 upon being nominated by the Executive Committee moments after the executive committee ratified his membership.
The only time it seemed there would be a contest was in 2010 when the then Minister of State for Defence MM Pallam Raju threw his hat in the ring, only to be persuaded to withdraw in favour of Lt. Gen. SS Kumar. Clearly, since Army units dominate the electoral college, civilians and even former Army personnel, including decorated athletes, have no chance of securing that position.
EFI is a rare National Sports Federation in which the Services Sports Control Board has similar rights as bodies that comprise it. With the Army Services Corps managing to retain control over the EFI Secretary-General’s position and with the Joint Secretary drawn from the Remount and Veterinary Corps, the QMG is not much more than a figure-head of the EFI.
This article first appeared in Mail Today on June 2, 2020
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