New Delhi: Star wrestler Vinesh Phogat will contest the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls from the Julana constituency. There are 90 seats in the Haryana Assembly and the state goes to polls on October 5 and the counting of votes will be held on October 8.
The Central Election Committee of the Congress met on Friday in the presence of party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and senior leaders Sonia Gandhi and KC Venugopal. On late Friday evening, the Congress released its first list of candidates.
Vinesh has been fielded from Julana seat. Earlier in the day, Vinesh and well-known grappler Bajrang Punia joined the Indian National Congress (INC) in the presence of Venugopal and leaders Pawan Khera and Dipak Babaria at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here.
Vinesh, who missed the Olympic medal by a whisker, lashed out at the BJP and its IT cell. Vinesh and Bajrang had led a campaign against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who is accused of sexually harassing women grapplers.
Speaking to reporters after joining Congress, a defiant Vinesh Phogat said, "We will not be scared and we won't back off. Our court case is going on, we will win that also." She also said that it was Congress who stood behind her when they were seeking justice for women grapplers. Earlier, the duo met Kharge at his residence in the presence of Venugopal.
Resigned From Railways
Vinesh Phogat quit her job in the Indian railways on Friday. Vinesh was working as an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) with Northern Railways. The Indian grappler announced her decision on the 'X' handle. She also mentioned that serving Indian Railways was a proud and memorable moment of her life.
“Serving Indian Railways has been a memorable and proud time of my life. At this point in my life, I have decided to separate myself from the railway service and have submitted my resignation to the competent authorities of the Indian Railways. I will always be grateful to the Indian Railway family for this opportunity given to me by the Railways in the service of the nation,” Phogat wrote on X.
Disqualification in the Paris Olympics
Vinesh has been the talk of the town ever since the Paris Olympics. The 30-year-old defeated the reigning Olympic champion in her first match and then went on to dish out an impressive show to enter the summit clash of the event. A silver was assured but on the day of her gold medal bout, the wrestler was found overweight by 100 grams.
Vinesh was disqualified from the competition as a result. The Indian wrestler later appealed in the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) for a shared silver but it was rejected.
BJP takes a dig at Vinesh
Senior Haryana BJP leader Anil Vij on Friday took a dig at wrestler Vinesh Phogat over joining the Congress, saying what objection could they have if she wanted to become "Congress ki beti" from "desh ki beti".
