Anita Sheoran, a witness in the alleged harassment case against Brij Bhushan, is among four candidates vying for the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) presidency. She is the sole female contender to succeed Brij Bhushan.
Brij Bhushan, the former WFI chief, faces serious allegations of sexual harassment made by six women wrestlers. Recently, he was granted bail by a Delhi court, and his case is still under investigation.
The nominations were filed before former J&K High Court Chief Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar, the Returning Office appointed for the elections.
"There are four candidates for the post of president, three for senior vice-president, six for vice-president, three for the post of general secretary, two for treasurer, three for joint secretary and nine for executive members' post. Against 15 posts, 30 persons have applied," said Justice Kumar.
"Tomorrow, we will display the list of all the candidates whose nomination papers are found to be in order. It will be put up on the (WFI) website tomorrow. One lady is there (for the post of president)," he added, as reported by PTI.
Anita, the gold medallist of the 2010 New Delhi Commonwealth Games, submitted her candidature on the final day of nominations for the August 12 elections.
Should she succeed, she would become the first woman to lead an ancient Indian sport with origins in all-male akhadas. Despite Indian women's achievements on the international stage, the sport's decision-making roles have traditionally been held by men, as cited by Indian Express.
This year's Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections hold particular significance, as Anita stands as the lone woman in a 50-member voters' and candidates' list. Her opponents are likely to include Jai Prakash, an Olympian and president of the Delhi wrestling association, and Sanjay Singh Bhola from Uttar Pradesh, both associated with Brij Bhushan's panel.
The Brij Bhushan camp has filed a total of 18 nominations for 15 posts and they claimed that they have the support of at least 20 out of the 25 state units.
“We are confident of doing well. In the next few days, we will finalise who will be the final candidate for the post but regardless, our choice will be unanimous,” said Jai Prakash.
(With inputs from PTI and Indian Express)
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