Hockey India elections without Maharashtra?H

Mumbai: In what could further infuriate the state bodies, a Hockey India (HI) official on Monday said they would have to go ahead with the elections without Maharashtra, if the differences between the associations aren’t resolved.

HI secretary general Narendra Batra met the office bearers of Mumbai, Maharashtra and Vidarbha hockey associations to find a solution for the disputes related to the affiliation of these units with the parent body. However, the meeting yielded no result and with HI given a May 31 deadline by the International Hockey Federation to conduct elections, they haven’t ruled out the option of going ahead without Maharashtra.

“Maharashtra is the only hurdle. We will submit our report to the Bombay High court and if the issues aren’t resolved, then we will have to go ahead without the state. We acknowledge that they have produced some great players but the election process can’t be held up because of a few petty issues,” the official pointed out.

Meanwhile, HI have also rubbished the allegations made by KPS Gill on Sunday, where he accused the officials of misusing the funds.