Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia to Join Congress Today Ahead of Haryana Polls: Reports

New Delhi: Olympic wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are set to join the Indian National Congress today at 2:30 PM, just ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections.

Their decision follows a meeting with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on September 4 in New Delhi, sparking widespread speculation about their political move.

Both wrestlers were prominent figures in the protests against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the former BJP MP and chief of the Wrestling Federation of India, who was accused of harassing young wrestlers.

Following their meeting with Gandhi, BJP leaders, including Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, criticised the wrestlers, claiming that their protests were politically motivated. Khattar commented, “Our athletes got trapped in a political maze. The wrestlers’ protests were clearly politically driven.”

The Congress party hopes to leverage the popularity of Phogat and Punia, especially among the Jat community, as part of their strategy to challenge the ruling BJP in the upcoming elections.

The Haryana polls are scheduled for October 5, 2024, with vote counting set for October 8.

Phogat missed out on an Olympic medal, and former Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda had offered her a Rajya Sabha seat, though she was deemed ineligible due to her age.