Haryana polls: Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia set to join Congress

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are set to join the Congress on Friday, 6 September, ahead of the Haryana Assembly polls, sources said.

"Both Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat will join the party on Friday. Whether one of them will contest or both would contest would become clear soon," the sources said.

Both of them met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday. The Congress had put out a photograph of Rahul Gandhi with Phogat and Punia on its official X handle.

Punia is a Tokyo Games bronze medallist, while Phogat became the first woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final, the stage where she was disqualified after being found over weight by about 100 gm in her 50-kg category weigh-in. She subsequently announced her retirement from the sport.

Punia and Phogat were part of the protest over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in 2023.

The Congress and AAP are engaged in seat-sharing talks for the Haryana Assembly polls with hard bargaining from both sides.

Voting on 90 Assembly seats in Haryana will be held on 5 October and counting of votes will be undertaken on 8 October.

Meanwhile, Vinesh Phogat on Friday resigned from the Indian Railways citing personal reasons amid speculations that she would be joining the Congress party.

"Serving Indian Railways has been a memorable and proud time of my life," she posted on X with a picture of her resignation letter. She was employed as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) with Northern Railways.

"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.

“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," she added.

The 30-year-old wrestler had quit wrestling following her disqualification from the 50kg gold medal match in the Paris Olympics.

She had appealed against the decision which was rejected by Court of Arbitration for Sport.