News Mania Desk/ Sohom Chatterjee / 7th September 2024
Olympian Vinesh Phogat joined the INC on September 5 as the Congress party announced the first list of 32 candidates for the upcoming 90-seat Haryana Assembly election, scheduled to occur on October 5. The female wrestler will be contesting from the Julana constituency as INC fields former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi.
This announcement comes almost one month after the talented wrestler was disqualified from the 50kg freestyle wrestling category of the Paris Olympics for being 100 grams overweight than the permissible limit of UWW.
Another compatriot of hers, male wrestler Bajrang Punia, has also joined the party. Both of them were at the forefront of protests against BJP MP and former president of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, in 2023 who was accused of sexually harassing young female wrestlers at the federation.
Upon joining Congress, Phogat jumped straight to criticizing the BJP as she said, “When we were being dragged on the roads, every party except the BJP was with us. Other parties were able to understand our pain and our tears.” She continued, “They said our career was over, that we didn’t want to play nationals. But I played nationals, played Olympics too.”
Commenting on the same issue, Punia said, “Congress stood with us. BJP stood by the injustice done to the daughters, but other parties were with us.” He also alleged the BJP IT Cell celebrating Phogat’s unfortunate Olympic exit.
Vinesh Phogat was proud to join the party as she stated, “I am proud to have joined a party that stands with women and is against injustice towards women,” she added. “I thank Congress. Bure time me pata lagta hai apna kaun hai (Tough times show you who is your own). I stand with every woman who finds herself helpless.”
INC is planning to overthrow the ruling party in Haryana, BJP, this term by retaining its faith in the existing 28 MLAs along with the four new names so far. Among them, the Party State President Udai Bhan, who lost in the 2019 elections, is again selected to contest from the Hodal constituency. To contest against the current CM Nayab Singh Saini, Mewa Singh is fielded by the Congress in the Ladwa constituency.
