Sanjay Singh, a close aide of deposed Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, has been elected as the new president of WFI. Sanjay Singh defeated Commonwealth Games gold medalist wrestler Anita Sheoran with a substantial margin, securing 40 votes to Sheoran's 7 in the election. The elections were held for various positions, including president, treasurer, secretary-general, and senior vice-president.
The election process followed a lengthy legal battle, and the federation's suspension by the international governing body United World Wrestling (UWW). The new WFI chief addressed ongoing issues in the Indian wrestling community, particularly referring to top wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and Vinesh Phogat, who were part of a protest against the former WFI chief earlier this year.
Sanjay Singh emphasized that those who wish to compete should focus on wrestling, while those interested in politics should engage in political activities. Wrestlers like Bajrang, Sakshi, and Vinesh had raised serious allegations against Brij Bhushan Singh and protested against him. The election outcome is expected to pave the way for UWW to lift the suspension imposed on WFI due to its failure to conduct elections within the UWW's set deadline.
(With Agency Inputs)
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