New Delhi: Sanjay Singh, former WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's loyalist elected as President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). UP Wrestling Association vice-president Sanjay Singh was up against Commonwealth Games gold medalist Anita Sheoran and he beat the latter in the delayed elections held on Thursday.
Sanjay, who is UP Wrestling Association Vice President, earned 40 votes while his opponent Anita Sheoran managed to bag seven votes. RSS affiliate Sanjay hails from Varanasi and is considered to be a close associate of Brij Bhushan. Also, the wrestler was part of the previous executive council of WFI and was also named as the joint secretary of the federation in 2019. Considering he is the loyalist of Brij Bhushan, the latter might consult the recently appointed WFI president in making the policy decisions.
"It's a triumph for thousands of wrestlers in the country who suffered in the past 7-8 months. It is obvious to feel good because truth has won over lie" Sanjay Singh told reporters after his huge win.
Ahead of the election, Sanjay Singh had backed his aid to emerge triumphant.
"11 months later, today is the election. In the election, Sanjay Singh, in a way, can be described as a representative of the old federation," Brij Bhushan told PTI.
"Sanjay Singh is sure to win the election, ensuring the formation of a new federation for the children. I urge them to create a conducive sports environment as soon as possible and compensate for any losses," he added.
The Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) elections were conducted at the Indian Olympic Association headquarters and Sanjay overpowered his rival as the new WFI government body announced the results.
The election for the posts will now allow the global wrestling body, United World Wrestling(UWW), to remove the suspension they had placed on the Indian Wrestling Federation. The UWW had suspended the WFI for failing to conduct elections and the Indian wrestlers competed as neutral athletes in global competitions in a span of the last few months.
The Brij Bhushan camp swept all four posts of Vice Presidents with Delhi's Jai Prakash (37), West Bengal's Asit Kumar Saha (42), Punjab's Kartar Singh (44) and Manipur's N Phoni (38) winning the elections. Uttarakhand's Satyapal Singh Deshwal, who is also from Brij Bhushan camp, is the new treasurer. He beat Jammu and Kashmir's Dushyant Sharma 34-12.
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