WFI Elections: Brij Bhushan and Son Excluded; Son-in-law to Represent Bihar

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is currently facing sexual harassment charges, and his son Karan have been excluded from the electoral roll for the upcoming Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections. However, surprisingly, the list includes members not associated with the existing state bodies.

While Brij Bhushan Singh and his son Karan, who was the vice-president of the same state body, did not make it to the list, the son-in-law of the outgoing chief, Vishal Singh, will represent Bihar in the polls.

Interestingly, Anita Sheoran, a witness in the sexual harassment case against Singh, has been named as the representative for Odisha in the elections scheduled for August 12. Sheoran, a 2010 CWG gold medallist from Haryana and currently serving in the state police, has been nominated.

Prem Chand Lochab, the secretary of the Railways Sports Promotion Board (RSPB), is listed as a representative from Gujarat, despite the position he holds. Additionally, Assam has been given voting rights following an unexpected decision by the ad-hoc panel to grant membership to the state.

A source from WFI raised concerns about the decision, pointing out that an ad-hoc panel should not have the authority to grant membership to a state. This move appears to be a breach of the WFI Constitution, as people who are not part of the state bodies have been nominated and approved on the electoral college list.

According to the WFI Constitution, only members of the state executive should participate in the electoral college for these elections, and the affiliate unit should nominate only their executive members for representation.

The states of Maharashtra and Tripura will not have representatives in the elections as both factions of the former were declared "ineligible" by the returning officer. Tripura has been disaffiliated since 2016.

Brij Bhushan Singh, a Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh's Kaisergunj, is ineligible to run for office as he has already served the maximum term of 12 years as an office-bearer under the National Sports Code. As a result, Prem Kumar Mishra and Sanjay Singh will represent the UP state unit.

These elections take place amidst the backdrop of sexual harassment allegations against Brij Bhushan Singh, who was released on bail by a Delhi court last week.