National Desk, September 4, 2024 — In a notable political development, Indian wrestling champions Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia have officially joined the Congress party. Both athletes, aged 30, will contest in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections as part of Congress’s strategy to strengthen its position in the state.
Vinesh Phogat will run for the Julana seat, currently held by Amarjeet Dhanda of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP), while Bajrang Punia will contest the Badli seat, which is presently under Congress control. Their entry into politics coincides with Congress’s ongoing seat-sharing negotiations with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), both of which are part of the INDIA bloc—a coalition formed to present a unified opposition against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Congress-AAP discussions, led by AAP’s Raghav Chadha and Congress’s KC Venugopal, continue as the parties finalize their electoral strategy. Reports indicate an ‘in-principle’ agreement, with AAP seeking to contest 10 of Haryana’s 90 seats, although Congress is considering offering seven seats, possibly conceding one to the Samajwadi Party.
Phogat and Punia’s political debut is seen as a strategic move by Congress, especially given their involvement in last year’s protests against the former Wrestling Federation chief Brij Bhushan Singh. Phogat’s recent engagement with farmers protesting on the Haryana-Delhi border further bolsters her local appeal, potentially enhancing Congress’s chances in a state governed by the BJP since 2014.
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