Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia to Join Congress Ahead of Haryana Polls

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are set to join Congress, with Punia likely to serve as co-chairman of Haryana's campaign committee. Phogat will contest in the state elections. The Congress and AAP are in seat-sharing talks for the Haryana assembly polls, to be held on October 5.

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are scheduled to meet Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in Delhi at 2 p.m., followed by their official induction at the Party Headquarters on Friday. Sources revealed that Bajrang Punia will not contest in the upcoming Assembly Election but is expected to be appointed co-chairman of the campaign committee of the Haryana Congress for the state polls. Vinesh Phogat, however, will contest the election, with her seat to be finalized by the evening.

On Wednesday, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia met Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition and Congress MP Rahul Gandhi in Delhi. Haryana will hold its polls on October 5, with vote counting scheduled for October 8.

In Paris, Vinesh was disqualified from the 50 kg gold medal bout at the Olympics for being 100 grams overweight, and her appeal for a joint silver was dismissed by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). She announced her retirement on August 8, sparking speculation about her entry into politics, similar to her cousin Babita, a BJP MLA. Concurrently, Congress and AAP are discussing a seat-sharing arrangement for the Haryana assembly elections. This could extend the alliance they had during the recent Lok Sabha polls.

The Congress has constituted a three-member committee for seat-sharing discussions with AAP and Samajwadi Party, comprising Ajay Maken, Deepak Babaria, and Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Party general secretary KC Venugopal will supervise the committee's efforts.

Congress sources indicated that the party is open to allotting 3-5 seats to AAP and one to Samajwadi Party in Haryana's 90-member assembly, following a suggestion by Rahul Gandhi to contest elections as part of the INDIA bloc and prevent vote division within the alliance.

(With inputs from agencies.)