WFI Elections: Sanjay Singh becomes the new president of Wrestling Federation of India

Sanjay Singh has won the election of the President of the Wrestling Federation of India. WFI elections were held on 21st December and Sanjay's name was confirmed in the results that came soon after.

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Sanjay Singh has defeated his rival Anita Sheoran. Anita Sheoran, who is from Haryana and contested from Odisha, was bidding to become the first female president of the national wrestling body. She had the backing of the star wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia, and Vinesh Phogat, who protested against outgoing Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh over allegations of sexual harassment and stalking of female wrestlers.

On the other hand, Sanjay Singh, who has been a close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, has promised to bring back the glory days of wrestling, a sport that has produced multiple Olympic medallists for India in the recent past. The likes of Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia had reservations about Sanjay Singh contesting the WFI elections as they voiced it out during their meeting with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur earlier in the month.

Sanjay Singh first became the District President of Varanasi Wrestling Association in 2008. After that, when wrestling association was formed in UP in the year 2009, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh became the state president and Sanjay Singh took the responsibility of vice president.

The two-way race for the presidential post of the Wrestling Federation of India was between former Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Anita Sheoran and Sanjay Singh, the vice-president of Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Federation. In such a situation, once again Brij Bhushan's dominance remains intact in Indian wrestling, even if indirectly. WFI elections have been held for a total of 15 posts including the President.

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Wrestling's global body United World Wrestling (UWW) had suspended the WFI for failing to hold WFI elections within the stipulated deadline in August 2023 and India's wrestlers have been competing as neutral athletes in global competitions over the past few months.