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In a bid to uphold the integrity of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections, Olympic grapplers Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik met with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday.
Their primary plea was to prevent anyone associated with former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh from participating in the forthcoming WFI elections set for December 21 during the General Body Meeting.
Bajrang and Sakshi, key figures in a two-month-long protest against Brij Bhushan, withdrew their opposition after receiving government assurances that no candidate linked to the controversial former president would be allowed to contest.
Despite this assurance, two contenders have emerged for the WFI president's role – Sanjay Singh, a known Brij Bhushan loyalist, and Anita Sheoran, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
“Yes, we met with the sports minister (Anurag Thakur) today and reminded him of his promise that no one related to Brij Bhushan should contest the WFI elections,” Bajrang told PTI.
“Sanjay Singh is his close associate and he should withdraw from the election race or otherwise we will decide our future course of action soon. We told that to that minister,” Bajrang added.
However, Bajrang clarified that they harbor no objections towards Anita Sheoran, citing her background as a former wrestler and Commonwealth Games medallist.
"We want some former wrestler to take charge of WFI, who at least knows what it takes to win medals for the country. Anita ji (Sheoren) is a Commonwealth Games medallist and understands the demands of wrestlers," Bajrang explained.
Anita Sheoran, potentially the first woman president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), is also reported to be a witness in the sexual harassment cases against Brij Bhushan.
Brij Bhushan assured no family members will contest in WFI elections
Brij Bhushan, currently out on bail, faces multiple charges of sexual harassment and is ineligible to contest due to completing the maximum 12-year term as per the National Sports Code.
Reassuring their commitment, Brij Bhushan announced that neither he nor his family members, including son Karan and son-in-law Vishal Singh, would participate in the elections. This development ensures that the polls will proceed without the influence of the disgraced former WFI president and his affiliated candidates.
