IOA dissolves ad-hoc committee for wrestling, WFI to take charge
New Delhi, Mar 18: The Indian Olympic Association on Monday dissolved the ad-hoc committee for wrestling, saying "there is no further need" for it to continue after revocation of the suspension on the national federation, which now gets complete administrative control of the sport.
The IOA said that the decision was also guided by the successful conduct of the selection trials for next month's Olympic qualifying tournament for which the panel collaborated with the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
The ad-hoc committee was formed in December last year after the sports ministry suspended the WFI, which got a shot in the arm when the suspension imposed on it by the global governing body -- United World Wrestling -- was lifted in February.
"The decision to dissolve the Adhoc Committee comes in light of the lifting of the ban on the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) by the United World Wrestling (UWW) and the successful completion of Selection Trials by the Adhoc Committee appointed by the IOA as per the directives of the Hon'ble High Court of Delhi," said the IOA order issued on March 10.
WFI chief Sanjay Singh thanked the Indian Olympic Association for giving his elected panel control of the national federation.
"We thank IOA for giving us full-fledged control of the WFI. We will give all facilities to the wresters. We will soon organise a national camp and if the wrestlers want to train abroad we will facilitate that as well. The focus is now on the Olympics. We are hoping that 5-6 wrestlers will qualify," Singh told PTI.
The three-member committee, under the chairmanship of Bhupender Singh Bajwa was constituted on December 23 after the newly-elected WFI, led by Sanjay Singh, had allegedly flouted its own rules.
Earlier this month, the ad-hoc panel organised the trials to select the teams for the Asian Championships and the Asian Olympic Qualifiers in Kyrgyzstan to be held next month.
The protesting duo of Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia competed in the trials and the former made the cut for Olympic qualifiers in the 50kg category.
Following the successful completion of the trials, the reins of the sport have now been formally handed over to WFI despite the continuing suspension imposed by the sports ministry.
The IOA instructed WFI to appoint a "Safeguarding Committee" to address concerns of sexual harassment and other issues such as adherence to rules.
"...as instructed by the UWW, it is imperative that the WFI appoint a Safeguarding Committee / Officer at the earliest to address the concerns of abuse and harassment and to ensure adherence to all rules, regulations, and guidelines set forth by the UWW and other relevant authorities," the IOA letter added.
"Furthermore, the WFI is also directed to conduct the elections of the Athletes Commission in a time-bound manner, in accordance with the established procedures and guidelines.
"This step is essential to promote athlete representation and participation in the decision-making processes of the WFI."
The order also instructed the WFI to "repay the loan" provided by the IOA to the ad-hoc panel for managing wrestling affairs when the national body was under suspension.
"The day I won elections, you know that it was a crown of thorns for me. Despite limitations, we tried everything, whether it was organising the Nationals (in Pune), or providing officials and referees to the ad-hoc panel for the recent trials after (Delhi High Court) court stopped us from organising trials (in New Delhi). I am sure that it is the end of the struggle for us," added Sanjay Singh.
A source close to the developments said he was "surprised" by the IOA's move to dissolve the ad-hoc panel.
"The Sports Ministry had suspended the WFI in December last year and it hasn't yet issued orders for revoking the suspension. Besides, the case is sub-judice, so it's surprising why ad-hoc panel was dissolved by the IOA," he said.
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BJP's Raja Iqbal Singh elected new Delhi mayor, Jai Bhagwan Yadav deputy mayor
New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI): BJP’s Raja Iqbal Singh was elected as Delhi’s new mayor on Friday, marking the saffron party’s return to power in the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) after two years.
Singh defeated Congress candidate Mandeep Singh by a margin of 125 votes to secure the top civic post, while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) boycotted the mayoral election.
As the mayoral result was announced, the second round of polling for the deputy mayor’s post was expected to take place.
However, Congress candidate Ariba Khan (from Abul Fazal Enclave, Ward 188) withdrew her nomination, clearing the way for BJP’s Jai Bhagwan Yadav to be elected unopposed as Deputy Mayor.
As Singh took his seat, BJP councillors filled the air with chants of “Bharat Mata ki Jai.”
Out of the total 142 votes cast for the mayor’s post, one vote was declared invalid. Iqbal secured 133 votes, while Congress candidate Mandeep Singh received eight.
The BJP lost two votes due to the absence of MP Manoj Tiwari. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had announced a boycott of the election on Monday.
The election was conducted during the general meeting of the MCD.
After being elected, Singh announced that the Standing Committee would be formed within a month and said, “Everyone will work together with commitment.”
“We will try to form the Standing Committee within a month and work in coordination with the Delhi government to ensure people face no problems. Our priorities include making parks greener, curbing corruption and pollution, and scrapping user charges immediately,” Iqbal Singh said.
He added that the party will “motivate” teachers, provide funds for students’ uniforms, and improve school infrastructure.
“The people of Delhi have shown faith in Prime Minister Modi and the BJP. We are committed to serving the city through the MCD and delivering on our promises. All eligible contractual workers under the BMP will be regularised as per rules,” he said.
He said that in the last two-and-a-half years, the development of the capital had slowed down.
“With the support of both the Delhi government and the central government, we will now accelerate the pace of development and complete pending work,” he said.
He also emphasised that "positive initiatives" will be undertaken to improve cleanliness, ensure quality education, and strengthen primary healthcare. Special focus will be given to resolving issues related to legacy waste at landfill sites and waterlogging.
Iqbal Singh was the Leader of the Opposition in the MCD and earlier served as the Mayor of North MCD.
He hails from a family with strong Akali Dal connections. His father-in-law was a councillor from the GTB Nagar constituency, and his brother-in-law was also active in Akali politics.
Iqbal Singh had also served as an Akali Dal councillor from GTB Nagar and headed the Civil Lines Zone of the corporation until September 2020.
Key political figures, including BJP MPs Harsh Malhotra, Praveen Khandelwal, Bansuri Swaraj, Kawaljeet Sehrawat, and Yogendra Chandolia, cast their votes in the mayoral election.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which held the mayor’s post for over two-and-a-half years, completely boycotted the polls.
The last mayoral election, held on November 14, 2024, saw AAP’s Mahesh Kumar Khinchi win by a razor-thin margin of just three votes.
Satya Sharma, a BJP councillor from Gautampuri, served as the presiding officer for the mayoral election for the fourth time. Sharma is a three-time councillor.
At the beginning of the proceedings, Sharma called for a two-minute silence in memory of the 26 people who died in the recent terror attack in Pahalgam.
Despite the BJP’s victory, the party refrained from celebrations and did not garland the newly elected mayor.
