The last date for submitting candidacies has also been extended to July 1 as the body looks for a new President.

Elections are also set to take place for a senior vice-president, four vice-presidents, one secretary general, one treasurer, two joint-secretaries and five Executive Committee members.

The Ad-hoc Committee overseeing WFI operations took the decision in the name of fairness.

The Committee is made up of Bhupender Singh Bajwa and Suma Shirur and was formed after several athletes demanded the arrest of former WFI chief Brijbhushan Sharan Singh.

Singh, who has been charged with sexual harassment, cannot stand for re-election as President having reached the maximum three consecutive full four-year terms.

"We received complaints from at least 10 state bodies over a variety of issues," said Bajwa, as reported by the Hindustan Times.

"Most complaints pertained to affiliation; some bodies said they have been sidelined, some claimed they are the ones recognised by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).

"We needed more time to study their cases and decide.

"We want the elections to be completely fair and not draw any criticism from UWW [United World Wrestling]."

Organisations in Maharashtra, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Rajasthan, Bihar, Tripura, Odisha, Meghalaya, and Assam were the ones to air their concerns.

They had also communicated their issues to the IOA which in turn asked returning officer Justice Mahesh Mittal Kumar to hold a discussion with representatives from the 10 bodies.

"Everyone was in agreement that the elections should be non-controversial and fair," Bajwa said.

"We decided to hear everyone out and then decide. 

"It was a fruitful meeting. 

"Justice Kumar made the disgruntled factions sit together and patiently heard both sides.

"Then, the ad hoc panel sat for another three hours to discuss the elections."

Every one of the WFI's 25 state or territorial member federations can nominate two people for election.

Elections were initially scheduled for May 7 but placed on hold by the Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, which asked for them to be held within 45 days of the formation of the IOA Ad-hoc Committee.