Vinesh Phogat quits post in Indian Railways, meets Mallikarjun Kharge amid growing buzz about political debut

Vinesh Phogat resigned from her post in Indian Railways on Friday amid growing speculation that she will be joining the Congress party. The development came amid growing speculation that the wrestler will be contesting the Haryana Assembly elections next month. Phogat and fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia also met with Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge ahead of her political debut.

“Serving Indian Railways has been a memorable and proud time of my life. At this point in my life, I have decided to separate myself from the railway service and have submitted my resignation to the competent authorities of the Indian Railways. I will always be grateful to the Indian Railway family for this opportunity given to me by the Railways in the service of the nation,” she wrote in Hindi alongside a handwritten resignation letter that was shared on X.

The 30-year-old had recently quit wrestling following her disqualification from the 50kg gold medal match in the Paris Olympics. Her appeal against the decision and calls for a silver medal were eventually rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

It was not immediately clear whether the two wrestlers would be contesting the upcoming elections. Party leaders insisted that a decision would be taken by the Congress central leadership in the coming days.

“Today they (Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat) will be joining Congress at the residence of Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge. The central and state leadership of BJP stood with Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. The international players were humiliated at the Jantar Mantar in Delhi. They were victims of torture and abuse. The central leadership of the party will decide whether they will contest the elections considering factors like winnability,” said Haryana Congress spokesperson Kewal Dhingra.

Speculative reports however suggest that Phogat will be fielded as the Congress candidate from Julana in the upcoming polls. A PTI report quoting sources also suggested that Punia was under consideration for the Badli seat. The Congress central election committee had cleared the names of candidates for 66 seats out of 90 till Tuesday. 

The Haryana Assembly elections will be held in a single phase on October 5 with votes being counted on October 8.

(With inputs from agencies)