NEW DELHI: PT Usha has refused to leave the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) presidential race without waging one last fight. After losing out on a direct entry into the IOA General Assembly by finishing fifth in Monday’s contentious Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOM) elections and missing the four women’s places, Usha has found an unlikely ally in the the Ice Hockey Association of India (IHAI), as their women’s representative.Adopting the National Sports Federation (NSF) route, Usha is the IHAI’s women’s nominee in the provisional electoral college for the IOA Executive Council (EC) elections on Dec 5, released by electoral officer Sanjay K Srivastava on Thursday. Harjinder Singh is the association’s male nominee. The move is a pointed response to those who believed her SOM defeat had ended her bid for a second term as IOA chief.The SOM setback had triggered a protest from Usha. She lodged four complaints with the electoral officer over alleged campaigning by incumbent officials, messages seeking confirmation of voters’ participation and references to the sports ministry. In a Nov 9 letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Kirsty Coventry, she sought an independent examination and asked whether govt or external influence had been exerted.The provisional list has its own flashpoints. At the All India Tennis Association (AITA), interim president Chintan Parikh and Rushmi Chakravarthi figure as representatives, but IOA’s current EC member Rohit Rajpal is missing. Rajpal has objected, alleging Parikh bypassed an AITA executive committee meeting and secured approval through an advisory group. He questioned why Leander Paes was not included and Parikh’s name sent instead. Both Rajpal and Parikh are contesting AITA’s elections on Nov 27 as presidential hopefuls.Another issue is at the Indian Weightlifting Federation (IWLF), where its president Sahdev Yadav has nominated himself as male representative and his wife, Sabina Yadav, as the female nominee.Former Athletics Federation of India (AFI) chief Adille Sumariwalla, who withdrew from the SOM contest, is back alongside Jyotirmoyee Sikdar, and remains an aspiring canidate for IOA’s top post. Former IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta and NRAI’s Ajay Patel also feature, signalling an old-guard return.Hockey India’s list includes secretary general Bhola Nath Singh and Joydeep Kaur, but not HI president Dilip Tirkey, amid the power struggle for control of the federation between Singh and Tirkey. AIFF has nominated president Kalyan Chaubey, while the handball federation has proposed Udit Sheth, whose Yogasana Bharat recognition was quashed by the Delhi High Court.The final electoral roll will be published on Nov 15 after scrutiny and withdrawals. It will also include eight elected SOMs and India’s IOC member.