No elections in National Sports Federations till December 2026

NEW DELHI: The sports ministry on Monday announced that it has deferred the forthcoming elections of the country’s national federations until Dec 2026, allowing the current set of office-bearers to continue in their position even if the electoral process becomes due.

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The ministry’s move will allow sports federations (NSFs), including Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Badminton Association of India (BAI) to postpone their elections — due in 2026 -- till the end date of next year.




The ministry’s decision came after it realised that NSFs would require substantial timeframe to bring statutory, structural and procedural changes to its constitution/bye-laws be for effective adoption of the National Sports Governance (NSG) Act, 2025, which received the assent of the President of India Droupadi Murmu on Aug 18 this year. The Act and the rules, once notified, would govern all aspects of NSFs.

In its official order — a copy of which is with TOI — the ministry stated: “The compliance requirement under the NSG Act necessitates adequate preparation time for NSFs to establish robust electoral structure and procedures, and alignment of the constitution/bye-laws of NSFs with the Act. In accordance with the provisions of the Act, every NSF will be required to undertake appropriate measures to restructure the general body and to ensure that all their voting members and affiliate units are fully aligned with the provisions of the Act.”

List of federations whose elections are due in 2026

• 1. Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)
• 2. All India Football Federation (AIFF)
• 3. Badminton Association of India (BAI)
• 4. Equestrian Federation of India (EFI) (election matter pending in court)
• 5. Billiards and Snooker Federation of India (BSFI)
• Judo, Karate, Taekwondo, Handball and Gymnastics matters pending in courts

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