In a recent election conducted on Thursday, Sanjay Kumar Singh, a loyalist of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, emerged victorious as the new president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Sanjay secured a substantial 40 votes out of the 47 cast, defeating Anita Sheoran, who garnered the remaining 7 votes. The election transpired following the removal of Brij Bhushan from the presidency due to allegations of sexual and mental harassment by several top Indian wrestlers.
Sanjay Singh, known to be a close aide of Brij Bhushan, initially faced reservations from prominent wrestlers such as Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, who expressed their concerns during a meeting with Sports Minister Anurag Thakur earlier in the month. Celebrating his victory at Brij Bhushan's residence in Delhi, Sanjay Singh outlined future plans for wrestling, stating, "...National Camps (for wrestling) will be organized. Wrestlers who want to do politics can do politics, those who want to do wrestling will do wrestling."
Sanjay Kumar Singh, previously the vice-president of the UP wrestling federation, had been part of WFI's last executive council and held the position of joint secretary in the national federation since 2019. Hailing from Varanasi, Singh is closely affiliated with Brij Bhushan, and it is anticipated that he will seek guidance from the outgoing chief in policy decisions, given the latter's immense interest in the sport.
Despite protests from top wrestlers like Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, and Sakshi Malik against Brij Bhushan, the election outcome reflects a different narrative. The wrestlers' efforts to rally support for a change in leadership appear to have come to naught, as a close associate of the BJP MP now assumes the presidency of the Wrestling Federation of India.