New Delhi: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will finally hold its much-awaited elections on December 21, after the Supreme Court lifted the stay order imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the poll process.
The elections, which were scheduled to be held on August 12, were halted by the high court a day before, following a writ petition filed by some members of the WFI challenging the validity of the electoral list and the nomination of candidates.
The returning officer for the polls, Justice (retd) MM Kumar, stated on Saturday, announcing the revised schedule for the elections and stating that the results will be subject to the outcome of the writ petition pending before the high court. The statement said that the elections will be conducted during the Special General Body Meeting at the Olympic Bhawan here, as per the electoral list made on August 7 and the final list of contesting candidates displayed on the same day.
The statement also said that all the steps for the preparation of the elections were completed on August 7 and only the polling, counting of votes, and declaration of results were left. These activities will now resume on December 21, as per the directions of the Supreme Court.
The WFI elections have been mired in controversy and delay, as the federation is facing allegations of sexual harassment against its president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by several female wrestlers, including Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik. The sports ministry suspended the WFI and appointed an ad-hoc panel, headed by Wushu Association of India chief Bhupender Singh Bajwa, to manage the affairs of the federation and ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.
The ad-hoc panel head Bajwa said that the agenda and items for the elections will be the same as per the notice issued earlier on July 21. The WFI is also under suspension by the international federation, United World Wrestling, for failing to hold fresh elections within the stipulated time frame. As a result, Indian wrestlers have been participating in international events under the UWW flag.
The WFI elections are expected to bring an end to the turmoil and uncertainty in the Indian wrestling fraternity and pave the way for a new leadership and vision for the sport.
