New Delhi, September 6: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are set to join the Congress on Friday ahead of the Haryana Assembly polls, sources said.  "Both Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat will join the party on Friday. Whether one of them will contest or both would contest would become clear soon," the sources said.

Both of them met former Congress president Rahul Gandhi here on Wednesday. The Congress had put out a photograph of Gandhi with Phogat and Punia on its official X handle. Haryana Assembly Election 2024: 2 Ministers, 1 MLA Resign As BJP’s List of Candidates Triggers Major Rebellion; Kavita Jain Breaks Down in Tears in Front of Supporters (Watch Videos).

Punia is a Tokyo Games bronze medallist, while Phogat became the first woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final, the stage where she was disqualified after being found over weight by about 100 gm in her 50-kg category weigh-in. She subsequently announced her retirement from the sport.

Punia and Phogat were part of the protest over sexual harassment allegations against former BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh in 2023. Haryana Assembly Elections 2024: BJP Releases First List of 67 Candidates for Upcoming Vidhan Sabha Polls, Fields CM Nayab Singh Saini From Ladwa; Check Names Here.

The Congress and AAP are engaged in seat-sharing talks for the Haryana Assembly polls with hard bargaining from both sides. Voting on 90 assembly seats in Haryana will be held on October 5 and counting of votes will be undertaken on October 8.