Olympians Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia Resign from Railways to Join Politics

The Railways accepted the resignations of wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia on Monday, allowing Phogat to contest the Haryana assembly polls. Both athletes recently joined the Congress party. The Railways waived the three-month notice period, which initially raised concerns about Phogat's election eligibility.

The Railways on Monday accepted the resignations of wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, officials announced. This move allows Phogat to contest the Haryana assembly elections.

In distinct notifications issued on Monday, the Northern Railway confirmed that their resignations, submitted on September 6, were accepted by the competent authority with immediate effect. Both athletes recently joined the Congress party, with Phogat securing a ticket to run in the Haryana polls from the Julana constituency.

The Railway officials waived the mandatory three-month notice period for both wrestlers. Speculations had mounted that Phogat might be impeded by this notice period norm, as per election rules requiring her to be officially relieved from her Railway duties ahead of the October 5 polls.

Now that the Railways has officially relieved the two Olympians, Phogat's path to the elections is clear. Earlier, the Northern Railway had issued show-cause notices to both athletes after they met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, which, under service norms, prompted their resignations.

(With inputs from agencies.)