Wrestling Federation of India elections rescheduled yet again, voting now on July 11
The Wrestling Federation Of India (WFI) elections have been rescheduled yet again after disqualified state bodies could not come to terms with the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
The IOA on Wednesday held a meeting on the pleas of five disqualified state bodies, the president and general secretary, which were disqualified by WFI in 2022. The voting, which was supposed to take place on July 6, will now be held on July 11.
The sources within IOA said that the meeting was inconclusive and there was discontent among the members of disqualified state bodies. The five disqualified WFI bodies are – Maharashtra , Haryana , Himachal, Telangana and Rajasthan.
Another date of hearing for disqualified state WFI bodies has been given. However, till the disqualification is not quashed, the voter list for the WFI election cannot be finalised.
Earlier, the WFI had announced that the elections would take place on July 6, according to a notification issued by the returning officer. The IOA appointed retired high court judge Mahesh Mittal Kumar as the returning officer to oversee the election process.
The deadline for receiving two nominations from each state and union territory to form the electoral college was June 19. The scrutiny of nominations will be completed by June 22. Each state unit can send two representatives, and each representative will have one vote. This means that the electoral college for the WFI elections will consist of 50 votes. However, some state bodies that were previously dissolved by the WFI have also expressed their desire to participate in the elections.
The returning officer will review the credentials of the representatives from each faction to determine their eligibility to vote. The submission of nominations will begin on June 23 and end on June 25. The nomination papers will be displayed after preparation, and their scrutiny will take place on June 28. Candidates will have the option to withdraw their nominations between June 28 and July 1. The final list of candidates will be announced on July 2.
The elections will be held for various positions within the WFI, including the president, senior vice-president, four vice-presidents, secretary-general, treasurer, two joint secretaries, and five executive members.