After numerous postponements, the Wrestling Federation of India's [WFI] elections are finally set to be held on Thursday, assuming there are no last-minute changes. The results will also be declared on the same day.
Wait, I remember some talk of the elections back in July...
The WFI elections were initially to be held in early May, but the Sports Ministry had declared the process null and void and then the IOA was asked to form an ad-hoc panel. The election date was next finalized for July 4, then pushed to July 28 and then to August 12...only for it to be called off a day before as the Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the process on an application moved by suspended Haryana Wrestling Association.
What followed was the global body United World Wrestling [UWW] suspending the WFI for not conducting the elections on time. The UWW had given the WFI's ad-hoc panel a 45-day deadline, which ended on June 17, to wrap up the elections. However, due to the ad-hoc panel's lethargic approach and numerous disgruntled and disaffiliated state bodies moving the court, the UWW had no choice but to suspend the WFI on August 24.
How did the WFI's suspension affect India's wrestlers?
The WFI's suspension meant the Indian national anthem would not be played at UWW events and neither would the Indian national flag be displayed. All Indian wrestlers who competed in global events would compete as neutral athletes and the medals they won would not be awarded to the nation.
This was why Antim Panghal competed as a neutral athlete at the World Championships and she was not allowed to hoist the tricolor when she won bronze.
Will the WFI's suspension be lifted if the elections are held in a free and fair manner?
Absolutely. As UWW president Nenad Lalovic told ESPN India in October, there is no other reason to extend the WFI's suspension.
"As soon as they have elections, the suspension will be lifted. There is no reason to keep the suspension. India is a huge wrestling country and every wrestler who will not compete because of these issues, it's a catastrophe for India and us," he had said.
So, who are the presidential candidates?
Anita Sheoran
Anita Sheoran is a former India wrestler, who is now employed as an inspector with the Haryana Police. Anita, 38, won gold at the 2010 Commonwealth Games and two bronze medals at the Asian Championships [2008 and 2016]. She also has four Commonwealth Championships medals to her name.
Anita is the only woman candidate in the 2023 WFI elections and is also a witness in the sexual harassment case against Brij Bhushan. She has the chance to become the first-ever woman president of the WFI and is believed to have complete support from the protesting wrestlers, who feel her appointment will end Brij Bhushan's dominance within the WFI. While she is from Haryana, she will be representing the state of Odisha at the elections.
Sanjay Kumar Singh
Sanjay Kumar Singh, who is the vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh Wrestling Association, is a close aide of former WFI president Brij Bhushan. Sanjay has been associated with the WFI for over a decade and took over the position of joint secretary in 2019.
His social media account suggests his close ties to Brij Bhushan, who has been accused of sexual harassment by India's top wrestlers. Sanjay has attended numerous events alongside him and also voiced his support for the latter during the wrestler's protest.
Are the wrestlers okay with Brij Bhushan's aide applying for the president's post?
Nope. While the wrestlers were given an assurance that none of Brij Bhushan's family members would contest in the elections, it did not stop Brij Bhushan's allies such as Sanjay from competing in the elections. Fearing that Brij Bhushan might call the shots through one of his many allies, the wrestlers met Sports Minister Anurag Thakur last week to raise their concerns over Sanjay's nomination for the WFI president post.
Speaking to ESPN India on Wednesday, Sakshi Malik said, "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."
What are the wrestlers hopes from the WFI elections?
Their main hope is that Anita takes over as the WFI president. A former wrestler herself, the wrestlers feel she will understand their requirements better. The wrestlers also feel having Anita in power would give them a tiny sense of accomplishment, especially after all that they went through during their long-standing protest at New Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
"We faced a lot of problems, but if we get a favorable decision tomorrow then we will forget all the struggles and feel that we have done something for the future of Indian wrestling. If we don't get a positive result, then we will forever remember those 40 days of protest. We'll feel as if humne kya galat kiya [what did we do wrong?] or what kind of tanashahi [dictatorship] country are we living in that they won't listen to us despite our protests. But we are hoping for the best, the government has promised us and we hope they fulfil their promise," says Sakshi.