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Pune-based sports administrator and entrepreneur Punit Balan has been elected unopposed as the President of the Amateur Kabaddi Federation of India (AKFI) for the 2026-2030 term during the federation's elections held in Ranchi, Jharkhand on Sunday.
The newly-formed executive committee comprises 22 office-bearers representing various states across the country, according to a press release. Representatives from 22 states participated in the election process. Former BJP MP Ramdas Tadas was appointed as President Emeritus, while Bihar's Rajkumar Singh was elected as Chief Patron. Ushi Reddy from Telangana was elected as the General Secretary of the federation. Former High Court judge Justice Ratnakar Bhengra served as the Election Officer, while retired District Judge Pankaj Shrivastava supervised the election proceedings as Assistant Election Officer. Several federation members and office-bearers, including Arun Singh, Dr Rajesh Gupta, Vivek Reddy, Rahul Singh, Chetan Govind Jha, Rajesh Singh, Manoj Sharma, Kunal M Tripathi, Sammi Singh, Sujal Keshari and Pradeep Tirkey, were present during the announcement. Speaking after his election, Balan thanked the state associations and office-bearers for reposing faith in his leadership. "Kabaddi is India's traditional sport and deeply connected with the masses. We are committed to strengthening the sport at the global level, creating opportunities for talented rural players, developing modern training infrastructure and encouraging women and young kabaddi players," Balan said. He further said that the federation would work collectively with all state associations for the overall development of Indian kabaddi and to help the country achieve greater success at the international level. (ANI)
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