Vinesh Phogat secures Haryana poll ticket shortly after joining Congress

Congress released its first list of 31 candidates for the Haryana Assembly elections scheduled for October 5. The list features wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who joined the party just hours before, and Bajrang Punia, who was named the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress.

Congress announced its first list of candidates on Friday (Sep 6) for the Haryana Assembly elections set for October 5. The list of 31 candidates includes wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who joined the party just hours earlier along with Bajrang Punia. Phogat was given a ticket for the Haryana elections, while Punia was appointed as the working chairman of the All India Kisan Congress.

Olympians Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia were prominent figures in last year's wrestlers' protest against former WFI chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh

"I thank the people of the country and the media for their support throughout my wrestling journey. I also extend my gratitude to the Congress party. Tough times reveal who stands by you, and during our struggles on the streets, all parties except the BJP showed solidarity and understood our pain and tears," said the 30-year-old former wrestler, who was disqualified from the 2024 Paris Olympics after failing to make weight for her gold medal bout.

The Congress candidate list also features Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the current leader of the opposition in the Haryana Assembly, contesting from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, and Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee president Udai Bhan, who is running from Hodal (SC).

Congress' Mewa Singh is set to face off against Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini in Ladwa. Other key Congress candidates include Surender Panwar in Sonipat, Bharat Bhushan Batra in Rohtak, Kuldeep Vats in Badli, Chiranjeev Rao in Rewari, and Neeraj Sharma in Faridabad NIT.