Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat Making Efforts To Ensure Sanjay Singh Doesn't Become WFI Chief: Report

India's top grapplers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat and Sakshi Malik are reportedly making a last-ditch effort to ensure Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh's close aide, Sanjay Singh, does not become the Wrestling Federation of India chief. Two candidates -- Brij Bhushan-loyalist Sanjay Singh and 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medallist Anita Sheoran -- are in the fray for the WFI president's post in the elections on Saturday. The six wrestlers, who protested at Jantar Mantar for two months alleging Brij Bhushan sexually harassed women grapplers, have thrown their weight behind rival candidate Sheoran, who is also one of the witnesses in the sexual harassment case against the BJP leader.

A source close to the Bajrang, Vinesh and Sakshi camp told PTI on Thursday that the wrestlers had met Sports Minister Anurag Thakur in the morning and are hopeful of meeting Home Minister Amit Shah later in the day.

"The wrestlers are hopeful that the Home Minister could give them time today," said the source on the condition of anonymity.

"Some mediator has given them assurance that after the Parliament session today, the Home Minister could meet them. They (wrestlers) met the Sports Minister in the morning and he apparently told them he will look into the matter," the source added.

"The wrestlers conveyed their misgivings about Sanjay Singh from the Brij Bhushan camp getting elected to the post of president. The wrestlers said that while they had demanded none of Brij Bhushan's relatives should contest the WFI elections, it also implied that none of his close aides should contest the polls.

"And, Sanjay Singh is a close aide of Brij Bhushan. He is probably a business partner of the BJP leader. They have a problem with him becoming WFI chief," the