WFI Election Put On Hold by Punjab and Haryana High Court Amidst Representation Dispute

Chandigarh: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a stay on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections scheduled for August 12 at New Delhi’s Olympic Bhawan. The court will reconvene for the next hearing on August 28. The stay was granted to the ‘Haryana Wrestling Association,’ which had been denied representation in the WFI Electoral College.

The dispute arose due to conflicting factions in Haryana, with the Returning Officer selecting representatives from the ‘Haryana Amateur Wrestling Association’ for the WFI Electoral College. The ‘Haryana Wrestling Association,’ led by Deepender Hooda, contested this decision and approached the High Court.

On August 11, the court decided to halt the upcoming elections until a final resolution is reached. Each of the 25 voting state units submitted the names of two candidates for the WFI election Electoral College, from which individuals would be nominated for positions in the Executive Committee. The 50 members of the Electoral College hold the voting rights for the election.

A total of 24 candidates were in the running for the 15 positions within the WFI’s Executive Committee, including two contenders for the significant role of the president: Sanjay Singh, a close aide to Brij Bhushan Sharan, and former wrestler Anita Sheoran.