Former India hockey captain and Odisha Olympian Dilip Tirkey today filed his nomination for the post of president of Hockey India (HI). A former Rajya Sabha Member, Tirkey disclosed this along with a picture on his Twitter handle @DilipTirkey. He filed his nomination from Hockey Association of Odisha (HAO) of which he is the president.

Tirkey, who is also the chairman of Odisha Hockey Promotion Council, said he is committed to taking Indian Hockey to new heights. “Submitted my nomination for the post of President, Hockey India with the blessings of all. I am committed to take Indian Hockey to new heights,” Tirkey wrote in his social media post.

The 44-year-old Tirkey also exuded confidence of winning the upcoming polls, which is scheduled to be held on October 1. "I have been in talks with a lot of states. The entire North-East is with me. Bengal, Assam, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura all are backing me. Besides, I have been in talks with other states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and they have given positive response. So I am confident," he said to Hindustan Times.

One of the all-time great defenders of the game, Tirkey holds the Indian record for most International appearances, with 412 Caps over a 15-year-long international career. He represented the country in three Olympic Games. As a Member of Parliament, he represented Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Rajya Sabha from 2012 to 2018. He also worked as chairman of Odisha Tourism Development Corporation (OTDC).

Today was the last day for filing nomination papers. Former electoral officer in the Bihar State Governemnt, Ajay Nayak has been appointed as returning officer for conducting the Hockey India elections. Additionally, A. K. Majumdar has been appointed as the Assistant Returning Officer.

The list of electoral college, featuring a total of 54 representatives from 27 affiliated State and Union Territories, has already been announced by Hockey India for the upcoming elections. Besides Dilip Tirkey, coach Lucela Ekka has been named in the list as female representative of Hockey Association of Odisha.

Elections will be held for a total of 12 posts, which include one president, one general secretary, one treasurer, two vice-presidents (one from each gender), two joint-secretaries (one from each gender) and five executive members (minimum 30 per cent of the Executive Board would consist of either gender).
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PHOTO: Odisha Olympian Dilip Tirkey files his nomination for the post of Hockey India president on 18 September 2022.