Brij Bhushan, his son excluded from WFI electoral rolls, ex-chief says he 'opted out'

NEW DELHI: Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and his son are not the part of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections as the voter list for the federation polls was declared.

Last month in their meeting with sports minister Anurag Thakur, the protesting wrestlers – Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat – had demanded that no one from Brij Bhushan’s family should be allowed to contest the polls.

They were also promised a say in deciding who occupies the key posts of president, general secretary and treasurer.

However, Brij Bhushan was quoted as saying that it was his decision to keep his family out of the wrestling election. "I don't want any more controversy around me and my family."

Out of his three family members only his son-in-law, Vishal Singh, features in the electoral college, which was finalised on Tuesday.

The other son-in-law, Aditya Pratap Singh, a former joint secretary, is also missing from the list.

According to reports, the electoral college has a total of 50 members from 25 state units.

The deadline to nominate candidates for various posts, including the president, is August 1. Scrutiny of nominations will be conducted the following day and the final list of candidates will be released on August 7. If needed, voting will be conducted on August 12.