THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK
New Delhi, Dec 11: Olympic medal-winning wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia met with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday to reiterate their plea that he prevent any family members of former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh from running in the upcoming national wrestling body elections.
The eagerly anticipated Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections are set to take place on December 21 during its General Body Meeting, with the results slated to be announced on the same day.
Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik are part of the group of wrestlers who led a two-month-long protest against Brij Bhushan, accusing the BJP Member of Parliament from Kaiserganj, Uttar Pradesh, of multiple charges of sexual harassment.
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Govt had assured that no one related to Brij Bhushan will contest WFI polls
According to Bajrang, they ended their protest after receiving assurance from the government that individuals related to Brij Bhushan would not be allowed to participate in the elections.
In the race for the WFI president’s position, there are two candidates: Sanjay Singh, known for his allegiance and loyalty to Brij Bhushan, and Anita Sheoran, a gold medalist from the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
“Yes, we met with the sports minister today and reminded him of his promise that no one related to Brij Bhushan should contest the WFI elections,” Bajrang Punia stated.
“Sanjay Singh is his close associate and he should withdraw from the election race or otherwise we will decide our future course of action soon. We told that to that minister,” he added.
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Bajrang added that since Sheoran is a former wrestler and is well aware of the predicament facing athletes, they have no problems with her. “We want some former wrestler to take the charge of WFI, who at least knows what it takes to win medals for the country. Anita ji (Sheoren) is a Commonwealth Games medallist and understands the demands of wrestlers,” he stated.
Sakshi Malik said, “As the dates of the elections for the WFI have been announced, we met him regarding that. We are hopeful that the Government will keep their promise. We stopped our protests after listening to the govt but now it is the time of the Govt to fulfil their promise that no one related to Brij Bhushan Singh should get a post in the federation. Anurag Thakur said that the govt will keep their promises and we hope the same”.
