The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) has appointed retired Jammu and Kashmir High Court Chief Justice, Mahesh Mittal Kumar, as the returning officer (RO) for the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) executive council (EC) elections. IOA has proposed July 4 as the date to conclude the electoral process, but the RO will have the final say. The elections will be conducted after issuing a 21-day notice to call the Special General Meeting (SGM) of the WFI.
The IOA will miss the government’s deadline to hold elections by June 30, but the appointment of the RO signifies that the process will go ahead soon. The WFI had earlier proposed to hold elections to its new EC on May 7, which was later declared ‘null and void’ by the ministry. The electoral college will be formed after Kumar takes charge of the proceedings and, as has been the case in any democratic set-up, Brij Bhushan’s family members are eligible to contest.
The WFI has 25 affiliated units, including UTs of Chandigarh and Delhi. Each state unit can send two representatives and each representative shall have one vote. Therefore, the electoral college will consist of 50 voters. The final outcome of the election will be awaited by all stakeholders, including former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh’s family members, relatives, and close associates. Will they be allowed to contest the upcoming elections? Only time will tell.
