TOA Presidential polling concludes, counting delayed by court stay

Hyderabad: Polling for the president’s post of the Telangana Olympic Association (TOA) ended peacefully on Thursday. The polling was held from 12 noon to 4 pm at Olympic Bhavan in LB stadium.

Jitender Reddy, former MP and sports advisor to the state government, and V Chamundeswaranath, vice president of the state’s Badminton Association, are contesting for the top post.

In simultaneous elections, Babu Rao and Malla Reddy are vying for the position of General Secretary, while Satish Goud and Pradeep Kumar are competing for the Treasurer post.

Out of the 65 votes from the electoral college, holders of 59 votes exercised their franchise to elect president, secretary and other office-bearers for the Olympic sports body.

The counting of polled votes has been put on hold as the Hyderabad City Civil Court issued a stay on the declaration of election results. The boxing association had petitioned the court, claiming they were barred from participating in the voting process.

The Indian Olympic Association did not send an observer; however, the Sports Authority of Telangana (SAT) deployed DD Chandra Reddy as its observer for the voting process.

Meanwhile, Jithender Reddy’s faction was accused of indulging in irregularities in the conduct of the elections, while Chamundeshwari’s panel expressed concern over the alleged irregularities during the polling process. The panel members also criticized 70-year-old Jithender Reddy for allegedly contesting the elections against the National Sports Code ( 2011) guidelines.