Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are likely to run as Congress candidates in the upcoming Haryana assembly elections, with Phogat expected to contest from the Julana seat and Punia from the Badli seat, according to party sources. Their candidacies are anticipated to be finalized by the Congress Central Election Committee (CEC) on Wednesday or Thursday.
Although Phogat initially expressed a preference for the Julana seat, the Congress had considered fielding her from a constituency near Gurugram. As of now, the CEC has approved candidates for 66 out of 90 seats, but Phogat and Punia’s names were not included in the initial list.
This development follows a meeting between Phogat, Punia, and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi on Wednesday, fueling speculation about their potential candidacies. The Congress has remained reserved on the matter, with AICC general secretary in charge of Haryana, Deepak Babaria, indicating that clarity would be provided by Thursday.
The party shared a photo of Gandhi with Phogat and Punia on its official X handle. Both wrestlers were prominently involved in the 2023 protests against former BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, who was accused of sexual harassment.
Haryana will hold elections for its 90 assembly seats on October 5, with the vote count scheduled for October 8.