PUNE — The All India Tennis Association threw its governance into turmoil on Thursday. In a frantic, eleventh-hour reversal on the final day of nominations, AITA interim president Chintan Parikh bumped 1996 Olympic bronze medallist Leander Paes off the Indian Olympic Association electoral college roster, inserting himself instead. The maneuver sparked furious pushback from federation members across the country.
Paes had originally secured the federation's backing to cast tennis' vote at the upcoming IOA elections. But an emergency meeting of the AITA Nominations Advisory Group upended the slate at the deadline. When the dust settled, Parikh walked away with the male nomination, leaving tennis administrators questioning how one of India's most decorated Olympians vanished from the ballot. Former national champion Rushmi Chakravarthi secured the female representative berth from the Sportsperson of Outstanding Merit roster.
Parikh scrambled to douse the fire in a written statement dispatched to federation officials, arguing that Paes could not guarantee his physical presence on voting day.
Mr Leander Paes was uncertain about his availability (on the day of IOA elections). Today being the last date, urgently the Nominations Advisory Group meeting was called and it was decided unanimously that as it is customary to nominate the President of AITA for the Electoral College of IOA.
The explanation failed to pacify angry members who viewed the sudden switch as administrative overreach. India’s Davis Cup captain Rohit Rajpal had also mounted a push during the run-up, having formally expressed his desire to represent the federation at the IOA table before being sidelined in the scramble.
| Electoral College Slot | Initial Selection | Final Confirmed Nominee | Nomination Basis | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male Representative | Leander Paes | Chintan Parikh | AITA Interim President | Replaced on final deadline day |
| Female Representative | Rushmi Chakravarthi | Rushmi Chakravarthi | Sportsperson of Outstanding Merit | Confirmed |
| Davis Cup Captain | Rohit Rajpal |
The IOA electoral machinery now moves to vet the submitted nomination papers before publishing the final electoral roll.
| — |
| Candidate expression of interest |
| Bypassed |