The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) ad hoc committee has decided to delay the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) elections by five days, committee chairperson Bhupender Singh Bajwa confirmed on Wednesday.
The date of the election has been postponed from July 6 to July 11 after at least 10 state units raised issues before the panel on June 21, which was also the last day to send entries for the electoral college.
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That deadline too has now been extended until midnight of June 25.
Speaking to reporters, Bajwa said,
We received complaints from at least 10 state bodies over a variety of issues. Most complaints pertained to affiliation; some bodies said they have been sidelined, and some claimed they are the ones recognised by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). We needed more time to study their cases and decide. We want the elections to be completely fair and not draw any criticism from UWW.
Among the 10 state bodies, five were the disaffiliated states of Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, and Rajasthan and the remaining five were Bihar, Tripura, Odisha, Meghalaya, and Assam.
Bajwa added,
Everyone was in agreement that the elections should be non-controversial and fair. We decided to hear everyone out and then decide. It was a fruitful meeting. Justice Kumar made the disgruntled factions sit together and patiently heard both sides. Then, the ad hoc panel sat for another three hours to discuss the elections.
Speaking on the matter, a representative from one of the disaffiliated states said,
It was a good meeting. We are satisfied with it," said a representative from one of the disaffiliated units. "Both sides were heard patiently. Each unit was given about 30 minutes to present their case. We were also asked for some documents and told that a decision will be communicated to us in a day or two.
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