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Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined Congress on Friday ahead of Assembly elections in Haryana on October 5.
As per reports, Bajrang Puniya will not be contesting the Assembly Election as he is likely to be appointed as the co-chairman of the campaign committee of Haryana Congress for the upcoming polls. Vinesh Phogat, on the other hand, will contest the election. However, her seat will be finalised soon.
"The fight is continuing, it hasn't ended yet. It's in Court. We will win that fight as well... With the new platform that we are getting today, we will work for the service of the nation. The way we played our game with heart, we will give our best to work for our people. I want to tell my sisters, that I am with them. If there will be no one for you, I will be there, Congress party will be there. I have felt this, and I can assure you that we will be there for sure," said Phogat after joining the Congress party.
Attacking the BJP, Punia said, "...What BJP IT Cell is saying today that we just wanted to do politics...We had written to all women BJP MPs to stand with us but they still didn't come. We are paying to raise the voices of women but now we know that BJP stands with atrocities against women, and all other parties stand with us. We will work hard to strengthen the Congress party and the nation...The day Vinesh qualified for finals the country was happy but the next day everyone was sad. At that time, one IT Cell was celebrating..."
Ahead of joining the Congress, Phogat and Punia resigned from their Indian Railway posts.
Vinesh took to her official X handle and confirmed that she has resigned from the Indian Railway.
"At this juncture in my life, I have decided to separate myself from the railway service and have submitted my resignation to the competent authorities of Indian Railways. I will always be thankful to the Indian Railways family for giving me the opportunity to serve the nation," Vinesh wrote on X.
Meanwhile, Punia also resigned from the Indian Railways on Friday. On his resignation letter, Punia said that he was grateful to the Northern Railways for their guidance.
"I had joined this esteemed service on 13th September, 2014. I am grateful to the Northern Railways for the guidance offered to me in my professional career and I also express my heartfelt gratitude to all who those have worked with me in all my capacities during the course of my employment in the Northern Railways," Punia wrote on the resignation letter.
"I wish to tender my resignation from my post of OSD Sports, Northern Railways and request you to relieve me of my duties thereto. I have decided to tender my resignation on account of personal reasons and circumstances at my home. I have already informed you verbally regarding this," he added.
Earlier in the day, Phogat and Punia met Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in New Delhi.
On Wednesday, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia met Lok Sabha LoP and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in the national capital.
Polling in Haryana will be held on October 5. Votes will be counted on October 8.
At the Paris Olympics, Vinesh was disqualified from the 50 kg gold medal bout after she was found to be 100 gms overweight. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) also dismissed her petition to be awarded a joint silver.
She announced her retirement from wrestling on August 8, a day after her disqualification. Since her return home there has been intense speculation that she would enter active politics like her cousin Babita who is a BJP MLA.
In 2023, wrestlers Sakshi Malik, Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat were part of the protest against Brij Bhushan who was accused of sexual harassment of female wrestlers.
