Hockey Odisha elections paused, electoral officer seeks advice

In what could come as a major setback to the Hockey Association of Odisha (HAO), the Electoral Officer appointed to oversee its elections has put the election process on hold, seeking guidance from Hockey India on serious questions relating to the constitution and governance of several district units.

In a report submitted to the Hockey India President and Secretary General, sources said, Electoral Officer Anjani Kumar Mishra, IAS (Retd.), has raised questions over whether several permanent affiliated district units have governing bodies constituted through duly conducted, fair and democratic elections.

The report, sources added, records that, in several districts, Collectors, District Magistrates, Additional District Magistrates and other administrative officials have been shown as President and/or Secretary, in some cases as “Ex-Officio” office bearers. The report also notes that election proceedings and supporting documents have not been furnished in several cases.

In a significant observation, the Electoral Officer says 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 then raises a direct question over the electoral college, asking whether representatives nominated or authorised by such office bearers can be accepted in the final electoral roll without first establishing the legal and governance basis of their appointment.

The Electoral Officer has specifically sought Hockey India’s guidance on whether representatives authorised by ex-officio Presidents or Secretaries can form part of the final electoral roll, whether the appointment of government administrative officers as ex-officio office bearers is consistent with the HAO bylaws and Hockey India requirements, and whether the election can proceed while these issues remain unresolved.

The most significant observation comes towards the end of the report, where the Electoral Officer states that, pending guidance and further verification, “it would not be feasible to conduct the elections of Hockey Association of Odisha on October 3, 2026.”

The report proposes continuing documentary verification of the pending district units and avoiding their premature inclusion in the final electoral roll. The development gives fresh weight to concerns repeatedly raised by Hockey Odisha over the constitution of district units and the electoral process in the state.

“This is a vindication of what we have been saying for a long time,” said Pratap Satpathy, General Secretary, Hockey Odisha. “We have repeatedly raised questions about the manner in which district units have been constituted and about the electoral process. We were told that these concerns were politically motivated or without basis. Today, the Electoral Officer appointed to conduct the election has raised substantially similar questions and has himself said that the election cannot proceed without clarity and guidance.”

Satpathy said the report had brought the issue beyond competing claims between rival groups. “When an Electoral Officer formally records that the documents do not establish whether several district governing bodies were properly constituted, and then questions whether representatives authorised by them can be part of the electoral roll, this cannot simply be brushed aside,” he said. “The entire process must now be examined transparently.” Hockey Odisha said it would continue to seek a transparent and legally compliant electoral process and urged Hockey India to address the concerns raised in the Electoral Officer’s report before any further election schedule is finalised.