50 votes will decide the future of Indian wrestling when the 2023 Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections will finally be held, after months of delay.
The election was scheduled for 12 August, but on Friday afternoon, the Punjab and Haryana High Court put a stay on the election, following 'Haryana Wrestling Association's' petition regarding their right to be part of the Electoral College. The next hearing is set for 18 August.
When the election does take place, the Olympic Bhawan in the capital will see voters from 25 states gather at 11am to elect the new Executive Committee, comprising 7 posts and 15 members. While a new 'Brij Bhushan-free' WFI seems in the works, that may be true only on paper with the BJP MP making his presence and influence on the election very clear, with his close aide Sanjay Singh the front-runner for the president's post.
In a public show of strength, the evicted WFI president who had six female wrestlers file FIRs of sexual harassment against him, held a meeting with 20 of the 25 voting states, a before before the deadline to file nominations for the elections.
Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, who led the protests against him and got an assurance from the Sports Ministry that Brij Bhushan and his associates would not be allowed to participate in the election, are now back in India after a month of training overseas and are believed to be approaching all authorities involved to get Sanjay Singh removed from the electoral poll.
The wrestlers' candidate of choice for the president's post is 38-year-old former former wrestler from Bhiwani Anita Sheoran who is also a witness against Brij Bhushan in the sexual harassment case against him. Anita is a gold medallist from the 2010 Commonwealth Games and has been a support for the wrestlers during their protests against Brij Bhushan, in January and also later in the summer. Though hailing from Haryana, her is representing the Odisha association in the election and is the only female voter in the electoral roll of 50 for Saturday's election.
Wrestlers Share Concerns With Sports Minister
On Wednesday evening, Bajrang Punia announced the wrestlers would be holding a press conference at Raj Ghat on Thursday afternoon seemingly to address their concerns regarding Saturday's election. But with Section 144 imposed in the area due to Independence Day, the wrestlers were forced to cancel their media meet.
It is understood that they however did meet Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Thursday and shared their apprehensions on Brij Bhushan's aide seeming like the front-runner to become the next president of the WFI, with the faction supported by the BJP MP holding as many as 40 of the votes.
While the Brij Bhushan camp has filed nominations for all 15 posts, it is believed that the wrestlers' main concern is the president's post. They want Anita Sheoran to lead the WFI, even if the rest of the positions are filled by men supported by Brij Bhushan.
'If somehow Brij Bhushan can be convinced (that Sanjay Singh should not contest) then the entire matter will get resolved in no time,' a source was quoted as saying by PTI. 'The wresters have no issues with who becomes the secretary, treasurer, joint secretary or senior vice-president. They only want that Sheoran becomes president,' the source reportedly added.
Executive Committee Comprising 15 Posts to be Elected
An electoral collage comprising 25 state units was put together by the Returning Officer made in-charge of the WFI elections with the earlier body dissolved by the Sports Ministry, following allegations of sexual harassment against president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Each of the 25 state units was allowed to name two representatives who will vote in the election, and from which candidates could come forward to be nominated for the Executive Committee.
On 23 July, one day before the deadline for candidates to submit their nomination, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh held a meeting in 5 star hotel near Delhi's Connaught Place that was attended by 22 of the state units, giving a clear indication of the influence the BJP MP still holds in the election.
On 24 July, the 15 candidates backed by Brij Bhushan met him in the morning, on their way to the Olympic Bhawan to submit their nominations to the Returning Officer. While none of the candidates themselves spoke to the media, Brij Bhushan's son-in-law Vikas, who will be voting from Bihar, addressed the media and shared the list of nominations filed by their group, that comprised candidates for each of the 15 positions.
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