New Delhi, April 22: Noted boxer Vijender Singh is likely to take the political plunge, by joining the Indian National Congress, reports said on Monday. Speculations are rife that Singh would be fielded by the party from the South Delhi constituency. The unverified reports gained credence after the Congress refrained its candidates from 6 out of the 7 Lok Sabha seats in the national capital, barring the constituency of South Delhi.

Vijender's candidature has been approved by Congress president Rahul Gandhi, reported The Print. The decision stems from the fact that the boxer, a native of Haryana, could sway Jat and Gujjar voters based in South Delhi in favour of the Congress. Congress Releases List of 6 Candidates for Delhi Lok Sabha Seats, Check All Names.

The South Delhi seats borders with the state of Haryana, where Vijender enjoys high popularity primarily due to his bronze-medal winning performance in the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The Congress had, earlier this month, rejected the idea to field Ramesh Singh -- who had lost in the last elections -- to be re-fielded from the constituency. The party was strongly in favour of issuing the ticket to a celebrity who could create a voters' euphoria in his favour.

South Delhi, demographically, is considered to be different from all other parliamentary segments of the national capital. The seat comprises of more than a dozen villages, with farmers of Jat and Gujjar origin playing a decisive factor in the polls. In 2014, BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri had wrested the seat with a massive mandate.

South Delhi, along with the 6 other constituencies of Delhi, will go to polls on May 12, when the sixth phase of Lok Sabha elections 2019 will be held.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 22, 2019 08:13 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).