Opinion Express View on WFI elections: Stranglehold of Brij Bhushan Singh

On the face of it, the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections were held in a free and fair manner. There was a process put in place, all those eligible could cast their votes and the candidate with the majority on his side was triumphant. Yet, there was one frame that captured everything that was problematic about this process. It was of a heavily garlanded Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, charged with sexual harassment, posing for the cameras and flashing the victory sign whereas the man who won the election, Sanjay Singh, standing obediently next to him. Though Brij Bhushan’s term as WFI office-bearer was over, there was no doubt who was the actual winner and who was calling the shots in Indian wrestling. The sloganeering at Brij Bhushan’s residence – dabdaba toh tha, dabdaba toh rahega (we dominated, we will continue to dominate) – by his supporters indicated as much.

Many puzzling trends emerge from the poll results. ID Nanavati, a senior sports administrator and a staunch Brij Bhushan loyalist, mysteriously lost to a little-known hotelier Devender Kadiyan from Haryana, representing Assam in the polls, for the post of senior vice-president. There’s also the case of a bureaucrat, Prem Chand Lochab, contesting an election for the first time but walking away with one of the most coveted posts of secretary-general. Then there is Madhya Pradesh’s newly elected Chief Minister Mohan Yadav. Contesting for the post of vice-president from Brij Bhushan camp, he got just 5 votes. For any election, such contrasting fortunes for officials from the same panel, this was a suspicious pattern.

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Sanjay Singh’s elevation from being a virtual nobody in Indian wrestling to the position of president raises many questions. It is concerning that a body reeling from sexual harassment allegations against its former chief will have no woman member in the new committee. With the former Commonwealth Games gold medalist and presidential candidate, Anita Sheoran, managing just 7 votes it showed that former players would always find it tough to break into sports bodies. The result also showed how tough it is to force reforms in a federation that is controlled by a powerful politician. Brij Bhushan’s time as the WFI chief was up even before he was accused of harassment and intimidation. He had served his maximum tenure and the ideal thing would have been for him to step aside and let someone else with fresh ideas take over. Instead, he will carry on pulling the strings and influencing decisions. Sanjay Singh cites his experience of playing in, and organising, mud wrestling tournaments. But this is not a dangal. India has the talent and potential to do well in modern wrestling. The new chief needs to do a lot to show that he’s independent and also the right man for the job. Shifting the WFI office out of Brij Bhushan’s residence in New Delhi could be a good start.