Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former President of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), made an announcement on Monday stating that none of his family members will be participating in the upcoming elections of the national sports body. He also reiterated that his group has the backing of 22 state associations.
Brij Bhushan, who is also a BJP MP, asserted that 22 out of 25 state units attended a meeting he hosted on Sunday, during which he declared that "his candidates" for various positions in the federation elections, scheduled for August 12, will be revealed soon.
On the last day of nomination for the WFI elections, Brij Bhushan visited the Indian Olympic Association office and stated, "Today is the last day of nominations, members from 22 state associations were here and they came to meet and are now going for filing their nominations. There is no one from my family."
He further added, "Let the elections happen first and then whoever wins will do their work." However, due to having completed 12 years as the head of the federation, Brij Bhushan is ineligible to contest as per the National Sports Code.
Responding to allegations of sexual harassment leveled against Brij Bhushan by the country's top wrestlers, including Olympic medalists Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Asian Games gold medalist Vinesh Phogat, the Sports Minister Anurag Thakur had assured the protesting athletes that no one from the BJP leader's family would participate in the elections.
Consequently, Brij Bhushan's son Karan is not part of the electoral college, and son-in-law Vishal Singh (President, Bihar Wrestling Federation), who was being considered as his potential successor, will also not contest for any top position in the August 12 elections.
Brij Bhushan's candidates may face competition from rivals who reportedly held a separate meeting at a different location in the national capital, with the state units of Assam, Odisha, and Himachal Pradesh in attendance.
(With PTI inputs)