Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia likely to contest Haryana elections on Congress ticket
Phogat also visited Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the former chief minister of Haryana.
Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia met with Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, amid rumours that they may run as Congress candidates in Haryana elections in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. On Wednesday morning, the Congress social media account on X shared a photo from the meeting.
According to a source, the two wrestlers are also expected to see K C Venugopal, Congress general secretary in charge of organisation. “An announcement about their candidature is expected soon,” the insider said. Phogat has been seen with Congress officials since her return to India from the Paris Olympics. Deepender Hooda, the Rohtak MP, was the first political leader to arrive at IGI Airport in Delhi to greet her with a ‘Hanuman Gada’, a sign of success.
In response to accusations of sexual harassment, Deepender had backed Phogat and other wrestlers, mostly from Haryana, in their protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the leader of the BJP and the head of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), at the time.
Phogat also visited Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the former chief minister of Haryana, who expressed that anyone wishing to join the Congress is welcome.
Phogat and Punia were among the most well-known figures in the 2023 rallies against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
The Haryana Assembly elections will be conducted on October 5.
It will soon become evident whether Phogat is running in the Haryana Assembly polls, according to AICC in-charge for Haryana Deepak Babaria, following the Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) meeting on Monday in Delhi.
Congressmen stated that the party has continued to talk about the possibility of the two contesting the polls. Certain things still need to be worked out. A Congress leader stated on Wednesday, “The talks are taking place, and everyone will soon know if the two will contest elections or not.”
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