Bhubaneswar: The October 3 elections of the Hockey Association of Odisha (HAO) have hit a roadblock, with the Electoral Officer appointed to oversee the process raising serious questions over the constitution of several district units and seeking guidance from Hockey India on whether the electoral process can proceed.
In a confidential report, a copy of which is with BI, submitted to the Hockey India President and Secretary General, Electoral Officer Anjani Kumar Mishra, IAS (Retd.), has questioned whether several permanent affiliated district units have governing bodies constituted through duly conducted, fair and democratic elections.
The report notes that Collectors, District Magistrates, Additional District Magistrates and other administrative officials have been shown as Presidents and/or Secretaries of several district units, in some cases as “Ex-Officio” office bearers. It also records that election proceedings and supporting documents have not been furnished by several units.
In a key observation, the Electoral Officer states that the “documents presently received do not establish” for several district units that their governing bodies were constituted through duly conducted elections in accordance with the applicable provisions.
The report also raises a direct question over the electoral college, noting that the legal and governance basis would need to be established before representatives nominated or authorised by such office bearers can be accepted in the final electoral roll.
The Electoral Officer has sought Hockey India’s guidance on whether representatives authorised by ex-officio Presidents or Secretaries can be included in the electoral roll, whether government administrative officers functioning as ex-officio office bearers are consistent with the HAO bylaws and Hockey India requirements, and whether the election can proceed while these issues remain unresolved.
The report concludes that, pending guidance and further documentary verification, “it would not be feasible to conduct the elections of Hockey Association of Odisha on 03 October 2026.”
The Electoral Officer has proposed continuing verification of the governance records of the concerned district units and avoiding their premature inclusion in the final electoral roll.
The report comes ahead of the proposed HAO elections, which were scheduled following a fresh notice issued in September. The association had held its previous AGM on June 18, with elections listed on the agenda but not conducted at the time.
The Electoral Officer’s report now puts the proposed October 3 election under a cloud, with the electoral roll and the constitution of several district units requiring further examination and guidance from Hockey India.
BI Bureau
