New 20-Member Panel To Oversee Elections In India’s National Sports Bodies With Two Former CECs

India’s sports administration is entering a new phase with the Sports Ministry constituting a 20-member National Sports Election Panel (NSEP) that includes two former Chief Election Commissioners, bringing experienced election officials into the process of choosing office-bearers of national sports bodies.

The panel has been created under the National Sports Governance Act, 2025, which seeks to bring greater transparency and consistency to sports administration. Former CECs Achal Kumar Jyoti and Sunil Arora, along with former Election Commissioner Anup Chandra Pandey, are among its senior members. Three former Deputy Election Commissioners, Sandeep Saxena, Sudhir Tripathi and Umesh Sinha are also part of the panel, along with former State Election Commissioners and Chief Electoral Officers.

The NSEP is essentially an electoral pool. When a national sports body holds elections, an Electoral Officer can be appointed from this roster to oversee polls for its Executive Committee and athletes’ commissions. Major bodies such as the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and All India Football Federation (AIFF) are due to hold elections this year, making the panel particularly significant.

However, the new system has begun with one important institution still missing. Under the law, the National Sports Board was envisaged as the body that would recommend the Election Panel and maintain its roster. But the Board has not yet been constituted. The government has therefore used the National Sports Governance (Removal of Difficulties) Order, 2026 to move ahead with notifying the Election Panel despite the Board’s absence.

The Board itself requires a Chairperson and two members, with appointments to follow a selection process. A search-cum-selection committee headed by Cabinet Secretary T.V. Somanathan was constituted to identify candidates, but the appointments have yet to be completed.

The delay is also visible in another part of the new framework. The deadline for applications to the National Sports Tribunal has been extended to October 11 the seventh such extension. The tribunal is intended to deal with sports disputes and reduce prolonged litigation.

Together, these developments show that India’s new sports-governance system is being rolled out in stages, with the election machinery already taking shape while some of the institutions meant to support it are still awaiting completion.