New Delhi, June. 13: The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday appointed former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar as the election officer to conduct the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections. Elections are likely to be held on July 4.
After a meeting with the protesting wrestlers on June 7, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur had said that the WFI elections would be held by June 30. But it is clear that meeting this deadline will be difficult. This is because 21 days’ notice is required to hold a special meeting of the General Assembly (SGM) of the WFI.
Elections can be held at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) or General Meeting. Anurag Thakur had assured wrestlers that the government would not allow any family members or associates of outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh to contest the elections. After this the wrestlers have stopped their protest till June 15.
Indian Olympic Association CEO Kalyan Chaubey had communicated the appointment of former Chief Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar and sought his consent. “IOA is expected to conduct WFI Executive Committee elections and we are happy to appoint you as Returning Officer to conduct the elections of WFI. You may suggest appointment of an Assistant Returning Officer and other staff,” CEO Kalyan Chaubey wrote in the letter.
“Elections are to be held in the General Assembly of Wrestling Federation of India on 4th July and the election schedule needs to be prepared accordingly. We look forward to your confirmation and conduct the WFI elections smoothly on 4th July,” it read.
Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar can decide the date of SGM and election on his own and it is up to him to hold the election on July 4 or some days later, sources said.
WFI has 25 affiliates including Union Territories of Chandigarh and Delhi. Each state unit can send two representatives. Each delegate shall have one vote. Hence, the electoral college for WFI elections consists of 50 votes.
According to the WFI constitution, state units can only nominate representatives who are members of their executive bodies. It remains to be seen what will happen if the eligible candidates related to Brij Bhushan Singh file their nomination papers for the election.
Brij Bhushan Singh’s son Karan was the vice-president in the earlier WFI setup and is also associated with the UP Wrestling Association. His son-in-law Vishal Singh is the President of the Bihar Wrestling Association. Both of them are eligible to contest as state corporation representatives.
