Bhaichung Bhutia enters the race to take over the mantle of AIFF President

The former Indian football team skipper Bhaichung Bhutia recently filed his nomination for the post of the president of All India Football Federation (AIFF)as elections inch closer.

Bhutia's name was put forth by one-time national team colleague Deepak Mondal. His nomination was seconded by Madhu Kumari, who is part of the 'electoral college' as an eminent player.

The Indian footballing icon recently issued a statement regarding his nomination, expressing a tremendous amount of interest in furthering the cause of the sport in the country.

"I have filed my nominationas representative of eminent players. In the wake of the SC decision to allow players, I hope the players can have a chance to serve Indian football. We want to show we can be good not only as players but also as administrators," Bhutia told the media.

However, Bhutia is faced with stiff competition from a myriad of worthy rivals, all vying for the prestigious office, includingFootball Delhi president Shaji Prabhakaran andWest Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's brother Ajit Banerjee.

Eugeneson Lyngdoh, who is a former player also filed his nomination throughthe Meghalaya Football Association. It is interesting to note that Lyngdoh is currently serving as an MLA in the legislative assembly of Meghalaya.

Bhutia's strongest challenger will perhaps be former playerKalyan Chaubey, who is currently one of the front runners to take over the role at the helm of the AIFF. In addition to his exploits in the international circuit, Chaubey has representedMohun Bagan and East Bengal over the course of his career.

Although Chaubey is currently a member of theruling party, BJP, the biggest factor that bolsters his claim to the throne is the fact that his nomination for the post was proposed by theGujarat Football Association and seconded by the Arunachal Pradesh FA.