Headed by Paes himself, the Bengal Tennis Association (BTA) had publicly backed his candidature for the post of AITA president. Indian tennis greats Mahesh Bhupathi and Sania Mirza have filed nominations for the AITA Sportsperson of Outstanding Merit (SOM) elections, seeking representation in the General Body (GB) and Executive Committee (EC), while the country’s most successful player Leander Paes surprisingly did not file his nomination for the November 7 polls. The absence of Paes, the only player featuring in Tier I of the 40-player roster, from the nominations list means that he can’t run for AITA Presidency.
According to Rule 12 (B): A person shall not be qualified to contest for election or seek nomination to, the posts of the President or the Secretary General or the Treasurer, unless such person is (i) a SOM GB Representative, or (ii) has previously served as a member for at least one full term in the Executive Committee of AITA on any post, or (iii) has previously served as the President, or the Secretary General or the Treasurer in any of its State Affiliate units.
Apart from Bhupathi and Sania, six other former players have filed their nominations, according to the list of nominations. “I think every federation needs players who have played at the highest level to help transform the sport, a case in point is what Gopi (P Gopichand) has done for badminton has been transformational,” Bhupathi told PTI.
They face competition from Ankita Bhambri, current Davis Cup coach Ashutosh Singh, Gaurav Natekar, Janaki Krishnamoorthy, Shalini Thakur Chawla and current Billie Jean King Cup captain Vishal Uppal.
“As someone who is deep rooted in the ground realities of Indian Tennis, it is important for me to put my hands up and contribute to Indian tennis in a greater way,” Uppal told PTI
