Sexual harassment acquittee Brij Bhushan enters BJP’s top committee

New Delhi: Former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faced sexual harassment allegations from women wrestlers, has been inducted into the party’s Uttar Pradesh state executive committee, three months after his acquittal in the case, The Indian Express reported.

The appointment of Bhushan, who was the president of the Wrestling Federation of India’s (WFI) before he was forced to step down from the post, marks his first entry into the BJP’s top state-level panel, despite his six terms as a Lok Sabha MP. The committee was constituted by state BJP president Pankaj Chaudhary on October 26, ahead of a meeting in Lucknow on October 30 to formulate the party’s strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to address the opening session, while Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will deliver the concluding address. Six other BJP leaders from Gonda district, Singh’s home district, have also been included in the committee.

Singh’s induction comes after six women wrestlers accused him of sexual harassment three years ago. The allegations included demands for sexual favours, molestation and intimidation. The complaints triggered a prolonged protest by wrestlers, including Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik and world champion Vinesh Phogat, over the government’s and police’s handling of the matter. Police later cracked down on the protest.

The allegations had also cost Singh a BJP ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. Instead, the party fielded his son Karan Bhushan Singh from Kaiserganj, the constituency previously represented by his father.

With the acquittal removing the legal hurdle to his participation in party activities, speculation has grown over Singh’s political return. A close aide told The Indian Express that he intends to contest the 2029 Lok Sabha election, subject to the BJP central leadership’s decision.