Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajran Punia are likely to contest the Haryana assembly elections from Julana and Badli seats, as congress candidates. The names will be cleared by the congress central election committee either on wednesday and Thursday.
According to the sources, Vinesh Phogat wanted to contest from the Jalana seat but the congress wanted her to initially contest from another seat near Gurugram.
This development came shortly after Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The Congress has remained silent on whether Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat will be fielded, with AICC General Secretary in charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria, stating on Tuesday that clarity on the matter will be provided by Thursday.
Phogat and Politics
The Congress shared a photograph of Rahul Gandhi with Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia on its official X handle. Both Punia and Phogat were prominent figures in the 2023 protests against sexual harassment allegations involving former BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Haryana’s assembly elections, covering all 90 seats, are scheduled for October 5, with vote counting set for October 8.
After her disqualification from the Paris Olympics due to weight issues, Vinesh Phogat received a warm reception from Congress leaders, including Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda. On August 23, Phogat, accompanied by her husband Somvir Rathee, visited the Hoodas in Delhi. She also joined protesting farmers at the Shambhu protest site on August 31 but did not reveal her political aspirations.
As Congress finalizes its candidates from a pool of 2,556 contenders, the single-phase election in Haryana is scheduled for October 5, with results to be announced on October 8.
Phogat and Olympics
Earlier this year, Vinesh Phogat’s 2024 Paris Olympics campaign ended in disappointment and heartbreak. Despite notable victories, including a win over Japanese wrestler Yui Susaki, Phogat was disqualified from the women’s 50kg freestyle final for being 100 grams over the weight limit, weighing in at 50.100 kg instead of the maximum 50 kg.
Following her disqualification, Phogat appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) for a joint silver medal based on her earlier performance. However, CAS rejected her appeal on August 14, 2024, leaving her without a medal for the third consecutive Olympics. Phogat had previously faced injuries in Rio 2016 and a quarter-final exit in Tokyo 2020.
In the wake of her disqualification, Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling, sharing her sense of defeat and loss on social media. She wrote, “Mother, wrestling won against me, I lost. Forgive me, your dream and my courage have been broken. I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye Wrestling 2001-2024.” Her retirement marks the end of a challenging journey, shaped by the pressures of high-level competition and the weight of expectations as a leading figure in Indian wrestling.
