Bhanot still calling the shots

MUMBAI: He may have been forced to relinquish his post because of government rules on tenure and age but Commonwealth Games’ (CWG) scam-tainted secretary general Lalit Bhanot is still the boss when it comes to Indian athletics. Bhanot, who spent several months in custody over allegations of corruption in CWG, is a former secretary general of Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and was recently elected secretary general of the suspended Indian Olympic Association.

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With his former boss Suresh Kalmadi facing a tough battle to get re-elected as president of the Asian Athletics Association (AAA), Bhanot made a surprise entry into the fray as India’s official representative at the twoday AAA Congress that started in Pune on Sunday.

Bhanot’s participation in AAA meetings, evident in his presence in the group photo circulated by Asian body, has left athletic community stunned as he is not an elected office-bearer of AFI and usually president or secretary – in this case Adille Sumariwala and CK Valson respectively – represent a national federation at continental level and one of them casts the vote in elections.

The AFI had in 2008 decided to nominate Kalmadi as its representative in AAA council, thus making him eligible for contest- ing elections. Even though he chose to relinquish AFI post and retain IOA presidency under government pressure, no decision was taken on who would represent it in the Congress and vote on its behalf. Bhanot’s presence also queers the pitch for Monday’s AAA council elections in which Kalmadi is up against Qatar's Dahlan Jumaan AlHamad. Bhanot still has his backers in AAA as he is expected to pull in some votes in Kalmadi’s favour. AFI officials remained tight-lipped about who nominated Bhanot . “I am not a council member and so did not attend the AAA meeting. Ask me only about the Asian Athletics Champion-ship,” Sumariwala said when asked why he did not represent India on Sunday.