New Delhi: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia on Friday joined Congress in the presence of party president Mallikarjun Kharge and other prominent leaders in the national capital.
Hours before joining the grand old party, the Olympian wrestler also resigned from the Railways. In a message on social media platform X, Phogat said serving the Indian Railways was a memorable and ‘proud time’ of her life.
Vinesh Phogat resigned from Indian Railways before joining Congress
In a post in Hindi on the microblogging site, Phogat said she has submitted her resignation to the ‘competent authorities’.
भारतीय रेलवे की सेवा मेरे जीवन का एक यादगार और गौरवपूर्ण समय रहा है।
जीवन के इस मोड़ पर मैंने स्वयं को रेलवे सेवा से पृथक करने का निर्णय लेते हुए अपना त्यागपत्र भारतीय रेलवे के सक्षम अधिकारियों को सौप दिया है। राष्ट्र की सेवा में रेलवे द्वारा मुझे दिये गये इस अवसर के लिए मैं… pic.twitter.com/HasXLH5vBP
— Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) September 6, 2024
Amid speculations that she might contest the upcoming Haryana Assembly polls, Phogat and Punia had met Congress leaders and the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Thursday.
Who is Vinesh Phogat?
Last month, Vinesh Phogat had announced retirement from wrestling after she was disqualified after failing to match the weight criteria in the final bout for the gold medal at Paris Olympic. She became the first Indian woman to reach the final stage of wrestling match in the Olympics.
Phogat and Punia, both were part of the protest over sexual harassment allegations against the wrestling body chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year.
Voting for the 90-seat Haryana Assembly is scheduled to be held on October 5 and counting of votes will take place on October 8.
Who is Bajrang Punia?
Born in Haryana, 30-year-old Bajrang Punia officially announced to join the Congress party on Friday alongwith her fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat. Punia, who won Bronze medal in Tokyo Olympic in 2020, is the only Indian to have won four medals at the World Wrestling Championships.