NEW DELHI: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh convenes meeting: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the outgoing Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) president, has called for a crucial meeting on Sunday to nominate his panel for the upcoming WFI elections, where new office-bearers will be elected. The meeting is seen as a significant step in shaping the future of Indian wrestling.

While Brij Bhushan and his son Karan are not part of the electoral college for the elections, Vishal Singh, the son-in-law of the BJP leader and a representative from Bihar in the polls, is likely to contest for a prominent position in the federation.

Vinod Tomar, the outgoing WFI assistant secretary, confirmed the development, stating, “Yes, the outgoing president has convened a meeting on Sunday. It has not been decided where the meeting will take place.

The meeting will likely be attended by all those (state body officials) who support him (Brij Bhushan). The presidents and secretaries of the various state associations will likely come for the meeting to discuss the candidates for the elections. The venue for the meeting has not been decided yet.”

The last date for filing nominations for the highly anticipated elections, slated for August 12, is July 31. However, Brij Bhushan is ineligible to contest as he has already served the maximum term of 12 years as an office-bearer, as per the National Sports Code.

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The Wrestling Federation of India is currently under the management of an Indian Olympic Association-constituted ad-hoc committee, led by Bhupender Singh Bajwa, to oversee the day-to-day affairs.

Commenting on the potential involvement of their state association in the election process, Punjab Wrestling Association secretary Ranbir Kundu said, “So far, we have not received any invite. We are not going to field any candidate in the upcoming elections for the top posts. However, we will vote for truth and the betterment of wrestling in the country.”

The upcoming elections have been marked by numerous postponements and legal challenges. The IOA ad-hoc panel initially scheduled the elections for July 6, but it was rescheduled to July 11 after disaffiliated state bodies from Maharashtra, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh raised objections.

The elections could not proceed on July 11 either, as the Gauhati High Court stayed them following the Assam Wrestling Association’s demand to participate in the poll process. However, the Supreme Court’s intervention paved the way for the elections by staying the Gauhati High Court’s order.

Two representatives from each state unit will be allowed to vote in the elections. However, both Maharashtra and Tripura will not have any representatives, with the Returning Officer deeming them ineligible and Tripura remaining disaffiliated since 2016.