Westler Babita Phogat's resignation from Haryana Police accepted, likely to contest state polls

The resignation of international wrestler Babita Phogat from Haryana Police has been accepted and the grappler, who had last month joined the BJP, is likely to contest the upcoming state Assembly polls. Babita and her father Mahavir Phogat, a noted wrestling coach, had joined the BJP on August 12.

The 29-year-old sub-inspector with Haryana Police had submitted her resignation a month ago, which was accepted on September 10, Surinder Pal Singh, Commandant, 5th Battalion, Haryana Armed Police, Madhuban, told PTI on Thursday. "Babita Phogat's resignation was received a month ago and there is a process which follows before it is accepted. The resignation has been accepted now," he said.

Babita had been appointed in Haryana Police under the sports quota by the then Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in 2013. Speculation are rife that Babita will be given a ticket by the BJP either from Badhra or Dadri in Charkhi Dadri district to contest the state Assembly polls, which are slated to be held in October.

"It is for the party to decide on giving her a ticket to contest. But if she is given a chance to contest, she will give her 100 per cent like the way she has made her contribution in the sports field," a Phogat family member said. Babita and Mahavir Phogat had joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, party's general secretary in charge of Haryana Anil Jain and its state chief Subhash Barala in New Delhi.

The Phogat household became popular nationwide following the success of Bollywood film 'Dangal', based on the lives of Phogat sisters, all of them wrestlers, and their father who coached them against all odds. Mahavir Phogat, who was chief of the Jannayak Janata Party's sports cell, switched sides from the JJP, which was floated last year by former Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala following a vertical split in the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD).

He had earlier said his family was "impressed" with the policies and programmes of the Modi government. He had also praised the Centre's decision to revoke provisions of Article 370, terming it as a "correct decision".

"Scrapping Article 370 and several other decisions taken in national interest by the Central government have impressed me and millions of countrymen like me," Mahavir Phogat, a Dronacharya awardee," he told PTI.

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