Elections will be held for nine IOA office-bearer posts, besides positions on its executive council. Under the IOA Constitution, an eligible presidential candidate must either be elected to the General Assembly by the Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) or be nominated by a National Sports Federation.

Usha’s return, however, does not necessarily set up a straight contest with the other star from Keralam, Anju, with several other Olympic medallists also potentially in the fray.

The voting on Monday, conducted by 80 current SOMs, saw Anju emerge as one of the early frontrunners. The former long jumper, the only Indian woman to win a World Championships medal in athletics, secured 53 votes, followed by former hockey captain Rani Rampal (50), archer Dola Banerjee (45) and shuttler Saina Nehwal (43). Usha finished fifth with 40 votes.

Usha, the IOA’s first woman president who had initially expected a relatively smooth re-election, now faces the prospect of a contest involving not just Anju but also Olympic medallists Gagan Narang, Saina Nehwal, boxer Vijender Singh and wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt.

The process leading up to Monday’s vote has been mired in controversy after eight male and five female candidates pulled out of the SOM elections. According to sources, Usha, who had strained relations with members of the IOA executive committee during her tenure, was also asked to withdraw but refused. Usha subsequently wrote to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), seeking a probe into possible government interference or external pressure in the SOM elections.

Anju, meanwhile, believes her experience as an athlete and administrator puts her in a position to contribute to the IOA, though she declined to comment on whether she was interested in succeeding Usha as president.

“I have been a senior vice president of the Athletics Federation of India for two terms. This group of the IOA will work for the 2030 Commonwealth Games. As an elite former athlete and as an administrator, I feel I can contribute immensely and be performance-oriented. This is not a sudden jump by me into sports administration. I worked with AFI for so many years. It is a big opportunity to be part of the IOA,” Anju said.

The 2003 World Championships bronze medallist said her biggest learning from her time as an AFI vice-president was the importance of taking everyone along. “What I have gained through the AFI will hold me in good stead in the IOA,” she said.

Asked about Usha’s allegations of external pressure, Anju said: “That is for the IOA to take care of and it is not our cup of tea. Those in charge of conducting the elections must look at it.”

Usha did not respond to text messages and phone calls on Thursday.

The allegations of pressure have also come from candidates who withdrew from Monday’svote. Ronjan Singh Sodhi, an Asian Games gold medallist in shooting and one of the 13 candidates to withdraw, told The Indian Express that he had received requests from fellow athletes and accomplished sportspersons to pull out.

“I am very new to this entire thing. I didn’t know much about how to go about it. It is a learning process for me, too. I wasn’t forced to withdraw. I got multiple requests from athletes, accomplished names, especially from other sports, to withdraw. I didn’t understand why. Nobody told me why I should pull out, or on whose request they were telling me to withdraw. All they said was that there was no point in competing amongst each other. By the end of it, I got fed up,” he said.

“I didn’t aspire to do this for any particular reason. I just wanted to do something good for Indian sport. It is important to be a part of the system to change it. But what happened wasn’t good. If somebody has filed his nomination, so let it be. I never called anybody, asking them to withdraw. I would have called other athletes to support me, not ask them to withdraw,” Sodhi said.

He also questioned whether the process had been followed as laid down. “The process was defined. But whatever was defined, it should be followed like that. The code of conduct specifically says you can’t be canvassing. If you don’t stick to it, then there’s no point,” Sodhi added.

On Wednesday, former sprinter Ashwini Nachappa had also alleged external pressure after withdrawing from the SOM elections. “I was asked to pull out. All those who withdrew were asked to withdraw under external pressure. It wasn’t voluntary, I can say that much… that speaks volumes about transparency,” she had told PTI.