Sakshi, Bajrang meet Sports Minister Anurag Thakur ahead of WFI election
Dec 11, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 11 : Olympic medallist wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia met Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur at his residence ahead of the Wrestling Federation of India election, which will be held later this month.
Sakshi Malik's husband Satyawart Kadian was also among those who met the minister.
The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections will be held on December 21 and the results will be declared the same day after counting of votes. The Supreme Court recently set aside the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, paving the way for the process to elect new WFI governing body.
The entire process of elections shall adhere to the stipulations and relevant provisions of the ratified constitution of the WFI and the Model Guidelines, 2011 issued by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
United World Wrestling suspended the Wrestling Federation of India in August this year due to the delay in holding elections. UWW decided that WFI "failed to conduct elections" in the specified duration.
The WFI elections were originally slated to be held on August 12. The Punjab and Haryana High Court, which is hearing a petition, in August extended the stay on WFI elections till September 25.
The stay order came in the wake of a petition filed by the Haryana Wrestling Association (HWA) which challenged the move to allow the Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association to cast votes in the WFI polls.
Elections for the federation, which oversees wrestling in India, were initially planned for June this year.
However, protests by star Indian wrestlers - Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat - over sexual harassment allegations against the then WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and cases relating to state units led to the postponement of polls.
An ad hoc committee set up by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) is running the affairs of WFI at present.
