- By Mayukh Debnath
- Fri, 06 Sep 2024 10:40 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Vinesh Phogat News: Vinesh Phogat, who joined the Congress on Friday, will be contesting the Julana seat in the upcoming Haryana Assembly election. The ace wrestler's name figured in the Congress party's first list of candidates for the 2024 Haryana Assembly polls released hours after her entry into mainstream politics. The list contained 31 names, including that of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who has been fielded from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi. The polling on all 90 Assembly seats across Haryana will be held in a single phase on October 5.
HARYANA ASSEMBLY ELECTION 2024: CONGRESS CANDIDATE LIST
The list confirmed the short-lived buzz that Vinesh Phogat would be Congress's candidate from Julana, which covers the village where her in-laws' house is located. She joined the Congress alongside fellow grappler Bajrang Punia, who, as per media reports, is not likely to be fielded by the party in the forthcoming Haryana Assembly polls. Hours before joining the Congress, both the wrestlers quit their jobs with the Railways.
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The duo's entry into Congress ended weeks of speculations about their willingness to join active politics. Notably, Phogat and Punia are among those who were at the forefront of a lengthy protest by a group of wrestlers in Delhi last year against the then-WFI chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Singh over his alleged sexual misconduct with female grapplers.
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"I thank Congress party. Kehte hain na ki bure time mein pata lagta hai ki apna kaun hai. When we were being dragged on the road, all parties in the country except BJP were with us. They felt our tears, they felt our pain. I feel proud that I have joined a party which stands with women and is ready to fight from 'sadak to sansad'. And I promise that with the zeal and will we have put in wrestling, we will stand with every citizen of the country especially women," Phogat said after being welcomed into the Congress.
(With inputs from agencies)