WFI polls: Brij Bhushan, son excluded; son-in-law to represent Bihar
Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) outgoing President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and his son, WFI vice president Karan Bhushan Singh, have been excluded from the electoral college for the upcoming WFI elections. Notably, Bhushan, who is also a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, is facing sexual harassment allegations by six prominent women grapplers. The polls for the WFI will be held on August 12.
Son-in-law not to run for top posts
While Singh couldn't make it to the list, his son-in-law, Vishal Singh, has been named as the representative from Bihar. Vishal will represent the state as the president of the Bihar Wrestling Association, but he will reportedly not run for any top post. This comes as Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur earlier promised protesting wrestlers that none of Singh's family would contest elections.
Witness in Singh's case to represent Odisha
Meanwhile, Anita Sheoran, a 2010 CWG gold medalist from Haryana, has been named as the representative from Odisha. She is also a witness in the sexual harassment case against Singh. Further, Prem Chand Lochab has been listed as a representative from Gujarat despite holding the position of Secretary of the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB).
Singh has completed maximum term as WFI chief
To note, Singh cannot run for WFI president as he has completed 12 years in the post, the maximum term under the National Sports Code. Therefore, Prem Kumar Mishra and Sanjay Singh will represent the Uttar Pradesh unit. Moreover, in a surprising move, Assam has been given voting rights and Devender Kadian will be representing the state.
Maharashtra, Tripura will not get to vote
According to The Indian Express, the electoral college has 50 members from 25 state units. The deadline for nomination is August 1, while the final list will be released on August 7. This year, Maharashtra will not get to vote as its two sets of nominations were found ineligible. Tripura will also not vote as it has been disaffiliated from the WFI since 2016.
