Sharan controversially elected WFI president

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh claimed that he has been elected as the president of the Wrestling Federation of India amidst controversy surrounding the electoral college of national body.

Brij Bhushan who is also a Member of Parliament from Gonda (UP) claimed on WFI letterhead that he has been appointed president on re-election during the special meeting of its governing council on Sunday.

However, Haryana Olympic Association (HOA) President, PV Rathee, who filed the petition in the Delhi High Court against last year's poll process, made counterclaim that the re-election for the post of WFI president was postponed indefinitely due to dispute in the electoral college.

The Delhi HC had on January 4 set aside the WFI's election process for its president's post and ordered fresh dates for the same.

The court quashed the election of Dushyant Singh as president of WFI last year, stating that the polls were not conducted in accordance with the federation's rules.

While Rathee said that the election was postponed, Brij Bhushan claimed that he defeated Deepender Singh Hooda, son of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, in the race for the president's post on Sunday.

Brij Bhushan also claimed that the WFI was forced to appoint its vice president Asit Kumar Saha as the Returning Officer after the orginal Returning Officer, Justice C K Mahajan was forced to leave the polls midway by Hooda's supporters.

"Soon after the meeting, the Returning Officer was surrounded by a number of unruly supporters of Deepender Singh Hooda, who did not allow the Returning Officer to start the polling for more than 2 hours," he claimed in a WFI statement.

"Since, the Returning Officer was intimidated and threatened, he was forced to leave. The governing council members of WFI, therefore, unanimously appointed vice president Asit Kumar Saha as Returning Officer and continued with the polling process," Brij Bhushan said.

He also added that as per the Delhi HC's judgement on January 18, the entire election process had to be completed today and the original Returning Officer, Justice Mahajan does not have the power to postpone the polls."

However, according to HOA president, Rathee, who filed the petition in the Delhi HC on behalf of Haryana Wrestling Association, the polls were postponed for an indefinite period as WFI failed to declare the electoral electoral college by January 25, the date set by the court for the same.

"The electoral college was not declared till last night even though the Delhi HC has set Janauary 25 as the date for doing the same," said Rathee.

The Delhi HC had earlier this month quashed the election of Dushyant Singh as president of WFI, stating that the polls were not conducted in accordance with the federation's rules.

In last year's elections, Dushyant Sharma, Raj Singh and Hamza Bin Omar were elected as the president, secretary general and senior vice president of respectively.