New Delhi: India’s star wrestlers, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who were vocal protesters against a BJP lawmaker accused of sexually assaulting women wrestlers, joined the Congress on Friday ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections on October 5.
The development comes two days after the wrestlers met with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi, fuelling speculation over their potential candidature.
Phogat is slated to run in the Julana constituency, now held by the Jannayak Janta Party’s Amarjeet Dhanda. At the same time, Punia is set to contest from the Badli constituency, which is held by the Congress and is represented by former state unit president Om Prakash Dhankar.
Earlier in the day, the duo — Phogat and Punia — met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence.
After the meeting, Kharge wrote on social media platform X, “Chak de India, Chak de Haryana! Meeting our talented champions, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who have made India proud in the world at 10 Rajaji Marg. We are proud of both of you.”
Phogat also shared a copy of her resignation on ‘X’ from Indian Railways, saying the job has been memorable for life.
“Serving Indian Railways has been a memorable and proud time of my life. At this point in my life, I have decided to separate myself from the railway service and have submitted my resignation to the competent authorities of the Indian Railways,” she said.
“I will always be grateful to the Indian Railway family for this opportunity given to me by the Railways in the service of the nation,” Phogat wrote on X.
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Punia and Phogat, together with wrestler Sakshi Malik, were among the prominent figures who complained against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a former BJP MP and then-chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, whom they accused of abusing young wrestlers.
Congress officials have been meeting with Phogat, 29, who lost an Olympic medal in Paris after being penalised for being overweight hours before her final match in the 50 kg division. Deepender Hooda, a Rohtak MP, was the first politician to arrive at IGI Airport in Delhi to welcome her.
Phogat, on August 23, met Deepender Hooda and his father and two-time Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and her wrestler husband Somvir Rathee at the Congress leaders’ residence in Delhi.
Phogat joined protesting farmers at the Shambhu protest site on the Punjab and Haryana border on August 31. When asked about contesting the Haryana elections, she replied: “I will not talk about politics. I have come to meet my family.”
The elections in Haryana are scheduled to take place in a single phase on October 5, with the counting of votes set for October 8.
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–IANS
