NEW DELHI: With the announcement of the Wrestling Federation of India's (WFI) elections on December 21, the group of protesting wrestlers, including Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik, on Monday held a closed-door meeting with union sports minister Anurag Thakur at his residence here.
They demanded the government's intervention to ensure that candidates from outgoing WFI president, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's camp don't get elected to top posts in the much-delayed elections.
The wrestlers' worry stemmed from the fact that 20 out of 25 state member units of the WFI have pledged their support to Singh in the upcoming elections. Only five state units - Gujarat, Assam, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir – are not on his side.
Singh's loyalist Sanjay Singh is pitted against the government-backed former CWG gold medallist wrestler Anita Sheoran for the president's post. For the secretary general's post, it will be a two-way contest between Railways Sports Promotion Board's (RSPB) Prem Chand Lochab and Singh-backed Chandigarh state unit's Darshan Lal.
Singh's close aides and loyalists have filed nominations for all key WFI posts. Their wins could help Singh control the federation from behind the scenes.
According to sources, the wrestlers' discussions with the minister revolved around the alleged pressure-tactics employed by Singh to force state member units to vote in his candidates' favour.
The wrestlers want the ministry officials to hold talks with the member units and convince them to vote in favour of Anita's panel. During the meeting, the wrestlers also threatened to renew their agitation if Singh's close associates don't withdraw their nominations ahead of the elections.
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