IOA elections: Anil Khanna withdraws nomination from president's post

Top tennis official Anil Khanna on Thursday withdrew his candidature for the post of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) president.

In a statement, Khanna said, "In order to keep the IOA family united and to ensure that common friends are not put in a difficult situation while deciding who to vote for, I have decided to withdraw my candidature as president of IOA from the current election in favour of Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra."

Before Khanna's withdrawal, there was a straight two-way fight between him and International Hockey Federation president Narinder Batra for the post.

Khanna also mentioned that he was not expecting to file the nomination; however, the circumstances made him to file his name for the post of both the president and senior vice president on the last day.

"IOA has been one family so far, and the election this year is creating division. I have had an opportunity of discussing with many of you over the last eight days and also with some of our more experienced members who have led the IOA so far. Many do not want a division as they enjoy a warm relationship with both sides and find themselves in a difficult situation to finally decide as to whom to vote for," khanna added.

The IOA elections will be held on December 14.