Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia Join Congress May Contest Haryana Assembly Elections

Chandigarh: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia have officially joined the Congress party and will contest in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections next month. Vinesh Phogat, 30, is expected to run for the Julana seat currently held by Amarjeet Dhanda of the Jannayak Janta Party, while Bajrang Punia, also 30, will contest the Badli seat for Congress.

The two athletes met with Congress MP Rahul Gandhi this afternoon, marking a significant development for the party as it prepares its candidates and engages in seat-sharing discussions with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The addition of Phogat and Punia is seen as a strategic move to strengthen Congress’s bargaining power, especially since some party leaders in Haryana have expressed concerns about forming an alliance with the AAP.

Reports indicate that an “in-principle” agreement between Congress and AAP was discussed last night. Although both parties are part of the INDIA alliance, formed to unite the opposition ahead of the April-June Lok Sabha elections, their collaboration has not significantly influenced state elections since its inception. Rahul Gandhi is advocating for the Congress to ally with the AAP in Haryana to prevent vote splitting and enhance their chances against the BJP.

Initial discussions revealed that the AAP is interested in contesting 10 of Haryana’s 90 seats, while Congress appears hesitant to concede more than seven seats, with one likely allocated to the Samajwadi Party led by former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, another member of the INDIA bloc. Further negotiations are set to take place today between AAP’s Raghav Chadha and Congress’s KC Venugopal, both of whom serve in the Rajya Sabha.

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