Vinesh Phogat And Bajrang Punia Join Congress Ahead of the Haryana Political ‘Dangal’
Image Source: Hindustan Times
Haryana election updates: This development occurred just hours after Vinesh Phogat resigned from her position at Indian Railways, citing personal reasons.
Olympic wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress on Friday in the lead-up to the Haryana Assembly election. The announcement came just hours after Vinesh Phogat resigned from her role at Indian Railways, citing personal reasons. Earlier that day, the two wrestlers met with Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge and other senior leaders at his residence on 10 Rajaji Marg, and on September 4, they also met with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Bajrang Punia is a Tokyo Games bronze medalist, while Vinesh Phogat, the first woman wrestler to reach an Olympic final, was later disqualified due to being about 100 grams overweight in her 50-kg category weigh-in. Following this, she announced her retirement from wrestling.
Both Punia and Phogat were also involved in last year’s protest by wrestlers against former BJP MP and then-chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, over allegations of sexual harassment. In her resignation letter to Indian Railways, Phogat expressed gratitude, stating that her time serving the railways was memorable and filled with pride, and that she would always be thankful for the opportunity to serve the nation through Indian Railways. The Haryana Assembly election will take place on October 5, with vote counting scheduled for October 8. The Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are currently negotiating a seat-sharing arrangement for the Haryana polls, with intense discussions on both sides.
These high-profile additions to the Congress are likely to strengthen its position, particularly as some Haryana Congress leaders are skeptical about aligning with the AAP. Deepak Babaria, AICC in charge of Haryana, confirmed on Wednesday that the Congress is in talks with the AAP for a potential alliance and that the INDIA bloc’s Samajwadi Party and CPI(M) have also approached Congress about contesting the Haryana elections together. Babaria added that the CPI(M) and Samajwadi Party aim to establish themselves in the state while talks with the AAP continue. Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has reportedly sought input from Haryana Congress members regarding a possible alliance with the AAP.
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