Double Paralympics gold winner Devendra Jhajharia set to be elected unopposed as PCI president

Two-time Paralympics gold medallist Devendra Jhajharia is set be elected unopposed as the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) president in the delayed March 9 elections, succeeding another celebrated para athlete Deepa Malik.

The 42-year-old Jhajharia, who had won a gold medal each in the 2004 Athens and 2016 Rio Paralympics in the F46 disability category, was the only candidate who filed nomination papers for the PCI chief’s post till 1:30pm Thursday, which was the cut-off time.

Returning officer Umesh Sinha issued a list of candidates who had filed nomination papers for various posts, and Jhajharia was the lone name for the president’s post.The scrutiny of nomination papers will be done by Sinha on Friday. If the papers of Jhajharia are found to be in order, he will be elected to the top post.

In fact, there will be no contest for all the major posts and voting may only be held for the five posts of the executive committee members for which eight candidates have filed their nomination papers.

The PCI elections will be held for the posts of president, two vice-presidents, secretary general, treasurer, two joint secretaries and five executive committee members.

PCI still remains suspended as far as the Sports Ministry is concerned though the world body, International Paralympic Committee (IPC), recognises it.

The ministry had suspended the PCI for delaying its elections as per the National Sports Development Code of India.

Jhajharia, who hails from Rajasthan, also won a silver medal in the Tokyo Paralympics in 2021. He clinched a world championships gold in 2013 and a silver in 2015 (both F46 category) as well as a silver in the Asian Para Games in 2014.