The Wrestling Federation of India's much-awaited elections will take place on July 6, the returning officer announced in a notification issued on Tuesday. The announcement comes a day after the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) appointed retired high court judge Mahesh Mittal Kumar as the returning officer to set the poll process in motion.
It was also notified that the election results will be announced on the same day. The last date for receiving two nominations from each state and union territory for constituting the electoral college has been fixed as June 19 and the scrutiny will be completed by June 22.
Functioning of the electoral college
Each state unit can send two representatives, and each representative will have one vote. So, the electoral college for the WFI elections will consist of 50 votes. But it has been learned that a few state bodies, dissolved by the WFI in the past, have also staked their claim to participate in the elections.
The returning officer, after going through the credentials of the representatives of the factions, will decide who can vote and who cannot.
The submission of nominations for elections will commence on June 23 and conclude on June 25, which will be followed by preparation and display of the nominations, while the scrutiny of the nomination papers will take place on June 28.
The candidates will be able to withdraw their nominations between June 28 and July 1, following which the final list of contesting candidates will be put up on July 2.
In his notification issued on Tuesday, the returning office wrote, "Whereas, the last date of receiving two nominations from each State/UT for constituting the electoral college has been fixed as 5.00 p.m of 19th June, 2023, all the recognised Wrestling Federations of the states/UTs under the ratified constitution of the W.F.I and the guidelines of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Govt. of India are hereby called upon to nominate two (2) persons each of the respective associations who are the members of executive body of such State/UT Units, for the purpose of constituting the electoral college for the ensuing general election to elect members of the Executing Committee.
"The nominations must be sent... under the signature and seal of the respective Federations by the President and the General Secretary, but not later than 5.00 p.m. of the 19.6.2023." The WFI elections will be held for the post of president, senor vice-president, four vice-president, secretary-general, treasurer, two joint secretaries, and five executive member.
Conflict over rival fractions in major states
It was widely speculated that the elections would take place on July 4 after the IOA appointed Mittal, the former Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice, as the returning officer on Monday.
The main task before the retired judge would be to decide which rival faction within the state bodies will participate in the polls, as two different state bodies in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Karnataka have reportedly sent names for inclusion in the voters list for the elections.
WFI had dissolved Karnataka, Haryana and Maharashtra at its June 2022 Executive Committee meeting for various reasons, including "corruption and mismanagement".
Fear over relatives of Brij Bhushan contesting
Another big issue in the elections is whether family members or associates of outgoing WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh will be allowed to contest elections.
Sports Minister Thakur had assured the wrestlers that the government will not allow any of Brij Bhushan's relatives to contest the polls.
It remains to be seen what happens if the eligible candidates associated with Singh file their nominations for the elections. Singh's son, Karan, was vice president in the previous 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.
They are both eligible to contest as state body representatives.
