TTFI to hold nationals in March
Notwithstanding the fresh administrative wrangling, the Table Tennis Federation of India (TTFI) has decided to conduct the delayed senior nationals in March after the Sports Ministry stepped up the pressure last month with a show-cause notice to the racket sport’s governing body. The senior nationals, usually held in December or January, will be organised tentatively in Indore from March 15 to 22.
In the notice dated December 24, the sports ministry had questioned the TTFI for not preparing the full season’s calendar, including the nationals across age groups, calling it a violation of the basic principles that govern its recognition as a national federation. The para nationals too are likely to be held in Indore in the last week of February while the cadet and sub-junior nationals in Gandhidham are likely from March 24-31.
The calendar was cleared in the SGM convened by the now suspended secretary Kamlesh Mehta on January 17 following ministry’s show-cause notice. However, president Meghna Ahlawat called that meeting constitutionally invalid. In the subsequent AGM that was convened by president Ahlawat in New Delhi on January 28, former India player Mehta was suspended from the secretary’s post. Mehta did not attend the meeting, calling it unconstitutional and asserted that only the secretary had the power to call for an AGM.
PTI has access to written responses from Ahlawat and Mehta on the alleged invalidity of the SGM and AGM respectively. The differences between Ahlawat and Mehta-led factions have always been there since their election in December 2022 but now they are out in the open. Administrative disorders are not new at TTFI. Back in February 2022, the Delhi High Court had suspended the TTFI after observing “a sorry state of affairs” in the national federation and appointed a Committee of Administrators (CoA) to look after its day-to-day activities.
Fresh elections were held in December 2022 when Ahlawat, wife of former Haryana Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, and Mehta were elected. With Mehta suspended, Yatin Tipnis of the Maharashtra State Association was nominated as the senior joint secretary in the AGM on Wednesday and would look after the day to day running of the federation.
