"We are hopeful that government will keep their promise": Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia ahead of WFI election
Dec 11, 2023
New Delhi [India], December 11 : India's ace wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia expressed faith that the government and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur will keep their promises to the grapplers abd that no one related to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh would get a post in the Wrestling Federation of India.
Olympic medallist wrestlers Sakshi and Bajrang met Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur at his residence regarding the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) 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 on the same day after counting of votes. This comes after the Supreme Court recently set aside the stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, paving the way for the process of electing the new WFI governing body.
"As the dates of the elections for the WFI have been announced, we met him regarding that. We are hopeful that the Government will keep their promise. We stopped our protests after listening to the govt but now it is the time of the Govt to fulfil their promise that no one related to Brij Bhushan Singh should get a post in the federation. Anurag Thakur said that the govt will keep their promises and we hope the same," Sakshi told the reporters.
"We have full hope that the government will fulfil its promise and that Brij Bhushan and the people associated with him will not come to the elections. We are hopeful that the Government will keep their promise. We have done everything according to the govt," Bajrang told ANI.
Asked if they are planning to hold a protest again if the government fails to fulfil their promises, Bajrang said, "That is a matter for later. We can't tell about this right now but we have full hope that the government will fulfil its promise."
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.
