A close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, BJP MP and former chief of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), who came under fire for sexual harassment allegations, was today elected the new president of the wrestling body. 

Sanjay Singh won 40 out of 47 votes in a sweeping victory over Anita Sheoran, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist who was backed by top wrestlers who had taken to the streets earlier this over sexual harassment allegations against Mr Singh, a six-time MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Kaiserganj who has led the wrestling body for 12 years.

Sanjay Singh has earlier served as vice-president of the Uttar Pradesh wrestling body. He was part of the WFI’s last executive council and its joint secretary since 2019.

In another significant development, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, who was in the race for the vice-president post, lost the election.

Besides the top post of president, election were held to fill up posts for a senior vice-president, four vice-presidents, a secretary general, a treasurer, two joint secretaries and five executive members.

Ace wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik and Vinesh Phogat, who led the agitation against Mr Singh, had been promised that none of his family members or aides will be allowed to contest the elections. So, Brij Bhushan’s son Prateek and son-in-law Vishal Singh did not enter the race, but his aide Sanjay Singh’s nomination was cleared.

Sanjay Singh and his associates had earlier said they had the support of wrestling federations from most states. The wrestling fraternity, he had said, knows who worked for the betterment of sports and will keep it in mind while casting their vote. “I am winning his election,” he told NDTV earlier.

The process for the WFI election began in July, but court cases kept delaying it. This led to the international wrestling body suspending WFI. The Supreme Court recently set aside a stay imposed by the Punjab and Haryana High Court, clearing the decks for the polls.

3 more Opposition MPs suspended from Lok Sabha for unruly behaviour, total count now 146

Fighter, featuring Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan, is one of 2024’s highly anticipated films. The teaser, posters, and the first song Sher Khul Gaye have garnered attention. Fans are eagerly anticipating the first-time pairing of Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone. Following the release of the first song, the makers announced the second song Ishq Jaisa Kuch on December 19. Deepika recently shared glimpses of the song.

On Wednesday, Deepika took to Instagram and shared a song clip in which she and Hrithik are seen sharing a magical chemistry on a sandy beach. The beats of the song could be a romantic party number.

Sharing the video, she wrote, “#IshqJaisaKuch Song Out on 22nd December #Fighter #FighterOn25thJan.”

Helmed by Siddharth Anand, Fighter stars Hrithik Roshan, Deepika Padukone, Anil Kapoor, Karan Singh Grover, Sanjeeda Shaikh, and Akshay Oberoi among others. The film is slated to hit the cinemas on January 25, 2024.

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