Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia resign from Indian Railways, formally join Congress

New Delhi, Sep 06: Ahead of the upcoming Haryana Assembly election, Olympian wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat joined the Congress in a big boost to the party.

Punia and Phogat joined the party in the presence of ith Congress general secretary KC Venugopal, party leader Pawan Khera, Haryana Congress chief Udai Bhan and AICC in-charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria.

After being inducted Vinesh Phogat said, "The fight is continuing, it hasn't ended yet. It's in Court. We will win that fight as well... With the new platform that we are getting today, we will work for the service of the nation."

"....When we were being dragged on the road, all parties except BJP were with us. I feel proud that I have joined a party which stands with women and is ready to fight from 'sadak to sansad'..." said the athlete.

Both the top wrestlers were part of protests by wrestlers over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh last year.

"Today is a big day for the INC. It's a proud moment for all of us as we welcome Vinesh Phogat ji and Bajrang Punia ji to our Congress family," KC Venugopal said today.

Earlier today, both the wrestlers had called on Congress national President Mallikarjun Kharge at his residence in the national capital.

The development comes ahead of polling for 90-member Haryana Assembly scheduled for October 5 with counting of votes scheduled on October 8.

The wrestlers resigned from their respective positions in Northern Railways earlier in the day.

Punia won bronze at the Tokyo Games bronze medallist, while Vinesh Phogat became the first woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final.

Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling a short while after she was disqualified from the Paris Olympic Games after being found overweight by about 100 gm in her 50-kg category weigh-in.