Kolkata : All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Sunday decided to hold its much-awaited elections on December 20, bringing an end to the uncertainty over the timing of the polls to elect its new office-bearers and executive committee.
The decision was taken at the Special General Body Meeting (SGBM) of the national federation here, which was attended by members of the AIFF Executive Committee, representatives of member associations as well as officials from FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The General Body appointed Rajeev Sharma, the former state election commissioner of Haryana, as the electoral officer to oversee and conduct the election process.
It also resolved to extend the tenure of the present AIFF executive committee until December 30, or until the newly elected executive committee assumes office, whichever is earlier.
The elections are being held against the backdrop of a period of uncertainty within the federation, with the AIFF having been working towards aligning its governance structure with its constitution and the requirements of the global and continental governing bodies.
The election will determine the leadership of the AIFF for the next term at a crucial juncture for Indian football, with the federation overseeing the national teams as well as the domestic competitions and development programmes.
The presence of FIFA and AFC officials at Sunday’s meeting assumes significance as the international bodies have closely followed the federation’s governance and electoral process.
The AIFF had last held its elections in September 2022, when Kalyan Chaubey was elected president, while Karnataka’s N A Haris became the senior vice-president.
