Top post for Assam in IBBF

Guwahati, May 11 : The 46-year-old president of the Kamrup Metro district unit of the All-Assam Body Building Association, Phanidhar Talukdar, has made it to the president’s post of the Indian Body Building Federation (IBBF), owing to the apparent vertical split of the apex body.

Such had been the differences within the parent body and the two state bodies that the coronation of Zaved Ali Khan as Mr India for the third time and the 50th Senior National Body Building that concluded last night was pushed to the background.

Talukdar was appointed last night but the formal announcement was made here this afternoon by Madhab Pujari, the life-term president of the IBBF, who said the former was the only one to have made it to the top post from the Northeast. “Twenty-two of the 28 state units that participated in the 50th senior nationals, that concluded here last night, supported Talukdar’s candidature,” Pujari said.

However, Talukdar’s appointment only confirmed that the IBBF, of which Baba Pradip Modhak was the president and Suresh Kadam the general secretary, had vertically split within a year of various groups merging with it last year. Kadam retains his post.

The trigger for the split, according to Pujari, was the alleged humiliation meted out to members of the All Assam Body Building Association (AABBA) at the meet, particularly former Mr India Bijit Gogoi and Muscle Mania Mr Universe Mahadeb Deka.

There was also the alleged non-cooperation from certain “individuals” to unite the AABBA and the Assam Body Builders and Fitness Association (ABBFA). There were allegations of the AABBA curtailing the Rs 10-lakh prizemoney, misbehaving with a physically-challenged participant and not providing accommodation to the AABBA state team.