Hockey India — the body formed earlier this year to run the sport in the country — is likely to miss their November 20 deadline for conducting elections, with representatives who have been ignored by the new body demanding they be recognised to ensure that the polls are free and fair.

Hockey India was registered on May 20, in line with the FIH diktat to have a single body administering the game. The international body had insisted that a democratically elected body should be in place within six months.

A delegation of representatives from state associations of Punjab, Bengal, Karnataka and other states met FIH vice-president and observer Antonio van Ondarza on Thursday, seeking clarifications on fair elections. “We met Ondarza and told him that we wanted that the elections should be fair and that all parties should have representation,” Pargat Singh, Hockey Punjab secretary, told The Indian Express.

Punjab is one of the associations yet to be granted recognition by Hockey India — along with Bengal, Karnataka and Kerala and a few others — despite being recommended for the same by their respective State Olympic Associations (SOA). “We have come to know that we do not figure in the list of recognised associations despite following all procedures. That doesn’t make any sense,” Pargat added.

Papers in place

Sources said that other associations that have been ignored too have legal papers in place to prove the presence of a unified body in the state. “They seem to be trying to get their own people in. How can you have elections without any representation from states such as Punjab, Karnataka or Bengal? With the ministry and FIH getting involved now, things will hopefully be better,” a source said.

A member of the delegation said that IOA president Suresh Kalmadi had agreed to form a committee each from both sides to work out the modalities for the elections. “The sports ministry has also written to Hockey India to reveal the recognition process and ensure that all state associations that have complied with the single body rule are allowed to participate in the elections.”

Sports ministry sources confirmed that the ministry had written to Hockey India two days back, seeking explanation on the process of granting recognition, and suggesting Hockey India not to go ahead with elections unless everything was transparent.

The decision also means that elections are not time-bound for the moment, though the FIH is trying to get things done before the World Cup. Due to the confusion over the elections, other decisions have also been put on the backburner. While the World Cup is less than four months away, there are no test events confirmed at the moment. “We had written to Hockey India many months ago, seeking approval for a four-nation, double-leg event in Delhi or Punjab but there has been no response. Many top nations are keen to send their teams but they need details. It’s all very frustrating,” Pargat said.

Hockey India president Ashok Mattoo said he would be able to comment only after meeting Ordoza on Friday.