Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Haryana, political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress, and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), have ramped up their preparations. While the BJP is claiming it will form the government for the third consecutive time, the Congress is also asserting its confidence in winning. Amidst these developments, a significant update has emerged from the Congress camp. Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia met with senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday in New Delhi.
Gandhi met with the two wrestlers before heading to Kashmir this morning, sparking speculation about their potential entry into the Congress party. The Congress put out a photograph of Gandhi with Phogat and Punia on its official X handle. Punia and Phogat were part of the protest over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in 2023. This meeting comes a day after Congress' Central Election Committee (CEC) convened on Monday (September 2) to finalise its list of candidates for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections.
Both wrestlers meet KC Venugopal
After meeting Gandhi, both grapplers also met Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal. Speculations are rife that Punia and Phogal are likely to contest the Haryana Assembly elections on Congress ticket and might resign from their posts on Wednesday. The Congress party is expected to release the candidates list in a day or two. Earlier on August 23, Phogat had met with Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his family in Delhi. Congress leader Deepender Hooda had led a rousing welcome for Phogat, who hails from Haryana's Balali, at the Delhi airport on her arrival from the Paris Olympics, where she faced a heartbreaking exit after being disqualified on the day of her 50-kg final match.
Cong, AAP in seat-sharing talks
The Assembly elections in Haryana is scheduled to take place on October 5 and results will be declared on October 8. Congress and Aam Aadmi Party have started seat-sharing talks for Haryana assembly polls which could lead to a continuation of alliance they had in the state during the Lok Sabha polls earlier this year. The Congress has formed a three-member committee, which includes the party's screening committee chairman for the state Ajay Maken, AICC in-charge of Haryana Deepak Babaria and former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, for seat-sharing talks with Aam Aadmi Party and Samajwadi Party.
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