IOA ad-hoc panel gathers voters list for WFI elections

Wrestlers clash with the police (L), Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh (R), Pic: AFP

The IOA ad-hoc committee took the first step towards conducting the impending polls by gathering the voters list, which will be required to form the electoral college. It is noteworthy that the government has set a June 30 deadline for Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections.

The third member of the ad-hoc committee, a retired high court judge under whose supervision the elections will be conducted, is yet to be appointed by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

"The judge will be appointed soon. We are already on the job. We have got the voters list from the previous set up," an IOA source told PTI.

After the country's top wrestlers accused outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment and intimidation, the IOA, on the instruction of the Sports Ministry, had formed the ad-hoc committee on April 27 to manage the day-to-day affairs of the federation and also conduct its elections.

The committee took charge on May 4 and is tasked with completing the election process within the 45-day deadline from the formation of the panel.

The deadline ends on June 17 and it is clear that it can't be honoured since the WFI elections will be held in a Special General Meeting (SGM) which can be called after issuing a 21-notice period to state units affiliated with the national federation and only eight days are left for the cut-off date.

The committee is planning to issue election circular in a day or two.

The WFI has 25 affiliated units, including union territories Chandigarh and Delhi.

Each state unit can send two representatives and each representative shall have one vote. So, the electoral college for the WFI elections will consist of 50 votes.

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The state units can nominate only those representatives who are members of their executive bodies, according to the WFI constitution.

Sports Minister Anurag Thakur had assured the wresters that the government will not allow any of the family member or associates of Singh to contest elections, following which the wrestlers had halted their stir till June 15.

It remains to be seen what happens if the eligible candidates associated with Singh file their nomination for the elections.

Singh's son Karan was vice president in the previous WFI setup and is also associated with the UP wrestling association. His son-in-law Vishal Singh is the president of the Bihar Wrestling Association.

They are both eligible to contest as state body representatives.

(With PTI inputs)