Haryana Assembly polls: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia to join Congress today

PTC News Desk: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are set to join the Congress party today, marking a significant political move ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections. Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat to join Cogress at 1:30 pm today. Both athletes recently met with Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, and Congress MP. They are also scheduled to have a discussion with Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal in Delhi.

This meeting aligns with the Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) session on Monday, where the party will finalise its list of candidates for the upcoming elections in Haryana.

Earlier, Vinesh Phogat had been actively involved in supporting farmers’ protests at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders between Punjab and Haryana. When questioned about her potential candidacy in the Haryana Assembly elections, Phogat declined to comment on political matters. She emphasized that her focus remains on the ongoing struggles of farmers rather than her own political ambitions.

Phogat stated, “I will not speak on this; I will not talk about politics. I have come to my family. If you talk about this, you would waste their struggle and fight. The focus is not on me today. The focus should be on the farmers, I request this. I am an athlete, I belong to the entire country. I have nothing to do with which state is going to the polls. All I know is that my country is suffering, and farmers are in trouble. Their issues should be resolved, and it should be the first priority of the Government to resolve this.”

Both Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia have been prominent figures in the protests against former Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who faces allegations of sexual harassment from female wrestlers.