Former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and his son Karan Pratap are not part of the electoral college for the upcoming WFI elections. As per the WFI constitution, only members of the state executive can be part of the electoral college for elections.
In a meeting with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur last month, the wrestlers – Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat demanded that no one from Brij Bhushan’s family should be allowed to contest WFI elections. They were also promised a stake in deciding who would sit on the key posts of president, general secretary, and treasurer. The WFI elections take place in the backdrop of sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan. Brij Bhushan was released on bail by a Delhi court last week.
While out of three members of his family, only his son-in-law Vishal Singh is included in the electoral college for the upcoming WFI elections, which were finalized on Tuesday. Brij Bhushan Singh and his son as well as Singh’s other son-in-law, former joint secretary Aditya Pratap Singh, are also missing from the list. According to a report, the electoral college has a total of 50 members from 25 state units.
Also Read: Former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and former secretary Vinod Tomar get interim bail
Maharashtra sent two sets of nominations from two factions, which were found ineligible by the returning officer. While Tripura has been disaffiliated by the WFI since 2016. The deadline to nominate candidates for various posts, including the president, is August 1. Scrutiny of nominations will be conducted the following day. While the final list of candidates will be released on August 7. If needed, voting will be conducted on August 12.
