Elavenil, Gagan join NRAI Executive Committee; Kalikesh formally re-elected president unopposed
Two-time Olympian Elavenil Valarivan, who is set to participate in 10m air rifle at the ongoing ISSF World Cup Final in Doha, has been nominated as a member of the Executive Committee of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).
The 26-year-old, named under the Prominent Athletes’ Quota, will have company in Olympic bronze medallist Gagan Narang, pistol coach Kunti Malik, and veteran trap shooter Zoravar Singh Sandhu. Interestingly, her name wasn’t in the first list put out by the national federation.
Meanwhile, V. K. Dhall, president of the West Bengal Rifle Association, stood defeated in both the vice-presidential (Executive Committee) and senior vice-presidential (Governing Body) elections, which took place during Thursday’s general body meeting at the Park Plaza Hotel in Zirakpur. The polls were conducted under the aegis of Justice Nirmaljit Kaur (Retd), who was the Returning Officer.
While, Kanwar Sultan Singh and Sushma Singh will now fill the two vice-presidential seats, Amit Sanghi has been elected the senior vice-president.
The newly elected office-bearers of the NRAI
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The newly elected office-bearers of the NRAI
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
Incumbent president Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo was re-elected unopposed as per Clause 9(a) of the Manual of Operational Procedures and Guidelines (MOPG) of the sports body’s election bye-laws after Narang withdrew his candidature.
The said clause states: “Where the number of contesting candidates for any post or category of post, in Form 6 is equal to the number of posts to be filled, all such contesting candidates shall be deemed to be duly elected unopposed to those posts, and it shall not be necessary to take a poll for election to such post.”
“Indian shooting has currently seen its most successful phase in history over the last couple of years, both in terms of success and popularity, and that increases our responsibilities manifold. I wholeheartedly thank the entire General Body for restoring faith in me and my team, and we promise to leave no stone unturned to accelerate this growth momentum even further and to maximise the potential that our extremely talented shooting athletes possess. With the Flag paramount in our thoughts, let us all work together to make India number one in the world in our beloved sport,” Kalikesh was quoted as saying in a press release.
ELECTION OF NRAI OFFICE BEARERS
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
President
Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo (Odisha)
Secretary-General
Pawan Kumar Singh (Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu)
Treasurer
Adv. Meghasham Shripad Bhangle (Goa)
Vice-President
Kanwar Sultan Singh (Ladakh) and Sushma Singh (Uttarakhand)
Joint Secretaries
Gouri Mohanty (Odisha), Randeep Mann (Karnataka)
Members
Amar Jang Singh (Punjab), Kumar Tripurari Singh (Bihar), Neil Sootinck (Meghalaya), Sheila Kanungo (Maharashtra), Elavenil Valarivan (Prominent Athletes’ Quota), Gagan Narang (Prominent Athletes’ Quota), Kunti Malik (Prominent Athletes’ Quota), Zoravar Singh Sandhu (Prominent Athletes’ Quota)
GOVERNING BODY
Senior Vice-President
Amit Sanghi (Telangana)
Vice-Presidents
Ashok Mittal (Haryana), Ashok J. Pandit (Maharashtra), D. V. Seetharama Rao (Tamil Nadu), John F. Kharshiing (Meghalaya), Paramdeep Singh Gill (Ladakh), Putul Kumari (Bihar)
Joint Secretaries
Bhaba Kalita (Assam), G. S. Singh (Uttar Pradesh), G. Susheel (Karnataka), Ishwar Rohal (Himachal Pradesh), Moirangthem Rachandra Singh (Manipur), R. Ravikrishnan (Tamil Nadu)
Members
Diwakar Singh (Jharkhand), Jackiey Teli (Arunachal Pradesh), Lalremtluanga (Mizoram), Merang Jamir (Nagaland), Moshin Khan (Andaman and Nicobar), Parampal Singh Guron (Chhattisgarh), P. G. Kishore Kumar (Puducherry), Romi Shiv (Uttar Pradesh), Ritesh Chakraborty (West Bengal), Salalith Tottempudi (Andhra Pradesh), S. S. Sodhi (Jammu and Kashmir), Prof. V. C. James (Kerala)
Published on Dec 04, 2025