Brij Bhushan flexes muscle, faction names his close aide for prez post

A COUPLE of voters might have switched loyalties but the embattled Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh seems to be in control as far as the election on August 12 is concerned.

- FIROZ MIRZA

As reported by this daily, the Uttar Pradesh strongman, who is also a BJP member of parliament from Kaiserganj, met Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday morning before having a round of talks with representatives from almost 20 state units at a five-star hotel in New Delhi.

By then the representative from Jammu & Kashmir wrestling association Dushyant Sharma, who attended the meeting on Sunday, was nowhere to be seen but it hardly mattered in the end. “Sanjay Kumar Singh is our candidate for the president’s post. Jai Prakash, an Olympian and president of Delhi Association is the backup candidate,” a source close to Brij Bhushan camp told this daily. The faction also filed two nominations for secretary with Chandigarh’s Darshan Lal, also a WFI vice president, filing his candidatures along with Jai Prakash. “If Sanjay’s nomination is accepted then we will choose one between Darshan and Jai Prakash for the post of secretary,” added the source. Incumbent treasurer Satya Pal Deshwal is the lone candidate for the post from the faction.