Kolkata: Hockey India general secretary Bhola Nath Singh was on Sunday elected unopposed as the president of Hockey Jharkhand for a fourth consecutive term during the association’s 13th Annual General Meeting in Ranchi.The election, however, comes amid a legal challenge over Singh’s eligibility to continue in office.The National Sports Governance Act, 2025 states that “a person may continuously hold the position of president or general secretary or treasurer, as the case may be, for a maximum of three consecutive terms separately, or in combination thereof”.Hockey Jharkhand, however, maintained that Singh’s re-election was in accordance with the National Sports Policy 2025, which Hockey India has implemented.In its official release, the association stated that “for being an office bearer in an international sports federation, Bhola Nath Singh has been elected as the president of Hockey Jharkhand for the fourth consecutive time”.Besides serving as the president of Hockey Jharkhand and general secretary of Hockey India, Singh has also been the vice-president of the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) since his election to the post in March 2023.Meanwhile, Manoj Kumar Prasad was elected unopposed as general secretary, while Asrita Lakra was elected treasurer.The development comes days after a group of 13 former international and national hockey players served a legal notice to Hockey Jharkhand and the Jharkhand Sports Department, questioning the legality of the election process. Several of the petitioners, including Sumrai Tete, along with former Indian women’s captain Asunta Lakra, staged a peaceful protest outside the venue with placards, but did not make any public statements.During the AGM, Hockey Jharkhand also ratified its annual accounts and reports for 2025-26 and distributed sports kits worth ₹65,000 each to 20 districts as part of its grassroots development programme.