Shafaqna India: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia met Congress MP and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday, amid speculation that they may join the party for the Haryana assembly polls.
Both Vinesh and Bajrang were prominent figures in the agitation over sexual exploitation charges, demanding the removal of the Wrestling Federation of India chief, Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan, in 2023.
Rahul Gandhi met with them earlier today before departing for the assembly election campaign in Kashmir.
This meeting comes as the Congress is in the process of selecting candidates for the Haryana assembly elections scheduled for October 5. The party’s central election committee has already approved candidates for 66 out of the 90 seats.
Vinesh and Bajrang are reportedly contenders for Congress tickets. Deepak Babaria, AICC general secretary in charge of Haryana, stated that clarity on their candidacies will emerge in the next day or two.
Vinesh is likely to contest from either the Julana (Jind) or Badhra (Charkhi Dadri) seat, while Bajrang is reportedly interested in running from the Badli seat in Jhajjar district, despite the current Congress MLA holding that position.