Vinesh Phogat to contest from Julana on Congress ticket

Ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections, Olympians Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who had led the wrestlers’ protest against the then WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in Delhi last year, joined the Congress on Friday.

Both met Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence and later joined the party at the AICC headquarters. They were welcomed by Congress general secretary in-charge organisation KC Venugopal, AICC general secretary and in-charge of Haryana Deepak Babaria, Haryana unit chief Uday Bhan among others.

Phogat (30), the first Indian woman wrestler to win a gold medal in both the Commonwealth and Asian Games, will contest from the Julana seat. Punia, a bronze medal winner in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, has been appointed working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress. While both wrestlers on Friday resigned from the Railways, Venugopal claimed they were issued a showcause notice by the Railways after they met Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday. The sources said the notice talked about violating service rules over meeting political leaders.

Venugopal appealed to the Railways to relieve them and not “play politics” over the matter. Phogat said when they (protesting wrestlers) were dragged on the roads in Delhi, all parties, except the BJP, supported them. “I feel proud that I have joined a party which stands with women,” she said.

Both wrestlers were part of the protest over sexual harassment allegations against then WFI chief Singh last

year. Assuring woman athletes of all help and support, Phogat said, “I want to tell my sisters that I am with them. If there will be no one for you, I will be there, the Congress party will be there.”