A week without end for PT Usha: How a silent rebellion derailed IOA president’s second term ambitions

NEW DELHI: PT Usha’s second term as Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president has crumbled in 11 days as the campaign for change within and outside the IOA gained momentum during her absence while she was in Dakar for the Youth Olympic Games (YOG), according to people familiar with the development. The week started on October 29. Usha met two influential political figures in Delhi and sought their assurance and blessings for the next term, sources said. At 7:09 p.m., she submitted her nomination for the Outstanding Athlete (SOM) election. That evening she flew to Dakar for the YOG as part of the Indian delegation with key office staff.After her departure, sources familiar with the back-channel discussions said those seeking a leadership change became active. Several calls, meetings in and outside Delhi and exchange of private messages followed. As the October 30 nomination deadline passed, Usha’s camp felt the alignment was shifting.The draft list, published the next day, deepened the unrest. Usha was reportedly alerted to a possible revolt against her presidency in Dakar. People from her camp admit that the opposition has been privately building for four to five months. They say she was caught off guard and underestimated the challenge. Usha planned to return on November 7. The development prompted her to cut the visit short, sources said. Two scheduled International Olympic Committee (IOC) engagements kept her in the Senegalese capital until November 2: a breakfast meeting with IOC Vice President Nawal El Moutawakel and four other delegates, followed by a meeting with IOC President Kirsty Coventry. They discussed India’s bid for the 2036 Olympics and the prospects of hosting the Asian Games in 2038. After the meetings, Usha booked a flight home on November 3, arrived in Delhi on the morning of November 4, and was present at the IOA office meeting with key aides at noon. By then, her re-election prospects appeared uncertain, sources said, due to mass withdrawals and reshuffles among potential SOM candidates.Allegedly influential sources urged Usha to withdraw from the SOM competition. She refused, relying on assurances she believed she received from her political bosses. She ultimately lost, finishing fifth with 40 votes in the six-woman contest, possibly ending her bid for a second term as IOA president. Her supporters admit she needed to be more active: the challenge took shape while she was away. However, Usha separately wrote to Election Officer Sanjay K. Srivastava to challenge the inclusion in the final SOM list of SOM candidate Dola Banerjee’s brother Rahul, citing conflict of interest. He asked for an eligibility review and inclusion or exclusion decision and asked who authorized the inclusion of Rahul, under what rule and on what documentary basis, and whether Dola had disclosed a conflict of interest.Usha also filed four complaints with the election officer, TOI has. They raised concerns about alleged requests for voters to confirm participation or provide proof of voting; reports urging the Department of Sports to obtain voter confirmation; and WhatsApp are appealing to the panel and four candidates allegedly circulated by existing members of the IOA executive committee. She requested an investigation under the Model Code of Conduct and Voting Secrecy. Sources informed that Usha has not received any response from Srivastava till date.