Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo Elected President of NRAI

Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo, a former MP from Odisha, was elected president of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), defeating VK Dhall 36-21. He had been the interim head since last year following Raninder Singh's resignation. Kalikesh's tenure saw India win three bronze medals at the Paris Olympics.

Kalikesh Narayan Singh Deo emerged victorious in the NRAI presidential election, winning 36-21 against rival VK Dhall at the Constitution Club of India on Saturday.

The former MP from Odisha had been overseeing the NRAI's operations since the previous president, Raninder Singh, resigned last year, as per the government's National Sports Code stipulations.

During his interim leadership, India won three bronze medals at the Paris Olympics, breaking the nation's medal drought from the 2016 Rio and 2020 Tokyo Games. Kalikesh will serve as president until 2025 when the next election is scheduled.

(With inputs from agencies.)