The much-awaited elections for the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) will finally take place on July 6. The filing of nominations will start on 19 June. If we recall, the elections were originally supposed to take place on May 7, but were annulled. However, while the election dates have been announced, there are multiple unanswered questions still doing the rounds.
The first and perhaps the most important question is whether family members of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh would be allowed to contest. A number of them are involved with state bodies and, as per law, there is no bar on them from contesting. And given Brij Bhushan’s stranglehold over the governing body, any one of them contesting could mean the former President will certainly try to swing the election in their favour.
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Secondly, if the family members decide to contest, what will be the stand of the protesting wrestlers? Will they say it means proxy control and resume their protest? Will they take him on and allow the elections to go on? Will they cry foul and oppose the process?
Thirdly, will there be a political diktat to Brij Bhushan that stops his family members from participating in the electoral process in order to avoid another confrontation? Without him or his family involved, the protesting wrestlers would have little reason to continue with their agitation.
In normal circumstances, a wrestling-body election is a formality. But with all that has transpired in the last few months, this is going to be a fascinating one, with all eyes of the media focussed on the nomination process, and trying to understand what might happen in the days ahead. Is the election the final act in the protest, or will there be more going forward? The next two weeks could provide the answer.