Bhola elected Hockey Jharkhand president for fourth term on trot | Hockey News

Kolkata: On Sunday, Hockey India secretary general Bhola Nath Singh was elected unopposed as the president of Hockey Jharkhand for the fourth consecutive term during the association’s 13th Annual General Meeting in Ranchi.The election, however, comes amid a legal challenge to Singh’s eligibility to continue in office.The National Sports Governance Act, 2025 states that “a person may continuously hold the position of the president or the secretary general or the treasurer, as the case may be, for up to three consecutive terms separately, or in combination thereof”.However, Hockey Jharkhand maintained that Singh’s re-election is in line with the National Sports Policy 2025, implemented by Hockey India.In its official release, the association said that “for being an office bearer of an international sports federation, Bhola Nath Singh has been elected as the president of Hockey Jharkhand for the fourth consecutive time”.Apart from serving as the president of Hockey Jharkhand and secretary general of Hockey India, Singh has also been the vice-president of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) since his election to the post in March 2023.Meanwhile, Manoj Kumar Prasad was elected unopposed as general secretary, while Asrita Lakra was elected treasurer.The development comes days after a group of 13 former international and national hockey players served a legal notice to Hockey Jharkhand and the Jharkhand Sports Department, questioning the legality of the election process. Several of the petitioners including Sumrai Tete, along with former Indian women’s captain Asunta Lakra, staged a peaceful protest outside the venue carrying placards, but did not make any public statement.During the AGM, Hockey Jharkhand also ratified the annual accounts and reports for 2025-26 and distributed sports kits worth ₹65,000 each to 20 districts as part of its grassroots development programme.