WFI elections: Brij Bhushan's close aide Sanjay Singh is top contender

The Wrestling Federation of India elections are torn between two factions.

While one faction backs former chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the other supports presidential candidate Anita Sheoran.

Sanjay Singh, the second candidate for the top post, is known to be a close aide of Brij Bhushan, often posting photos with the BJP MP.

Singh has also voiced his support for the former WFI chief who has been accused by several wrestlers of sexually harassing them.

Hailing from Uttar Pradesh's Chandauli, the Brij Bhushan aide is the vice-president of his state's wrestling federation.

Popularly known as 'Bablu' within the wrestling fraternity, he has been closely associated with the WFI since 2011. And eight years later, he assumed the position of joint secretary in 2019.

But the nomination of Sanjay Singh for the top job is a contentious issue for the protesting wrestlers.

The grapplers, including Olympic medallists Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, were assured by the Sports Ministry that no family member of Brij Bhushan would run for the WFI elections.

Though Singh is not his relative, he is a close aide, giving rise to speculations by the wrestlers that Brij Bhushan would be able to call the shots if his associate were to be elected.

After a recent meeting with the Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, Sakshi Malik was quoted by ESPN as saying, 'Sanjay Singh, the presidential candidate, is a close associate of Brij Bhushan. The Government has promised us that neither Brij Bhushan nor any of his aides will hold positions in the WFI. We are hoping for a neat and clean federation.'