Will wrestlers make foray into Haryana poll ‘Dangal’? Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia meet Rahul Gandhi amid rumours

New Delhi: A day after the All India Congress Committee (AICC) in-charge for Haryana, Deepak Babaria, spoke about the possibility of bringing Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia In the upcoming state elections, the campaigners will take on Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi in the national capital.

Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia held a meeting with the Congress high command in 10 Janpath On Wednesday, sources said, the Congress has offered two seats (Charkhi Dadri and Julana) to Vinesh Phogat. The elections in Haryana are scheduled to be held in a single phase on October 5, with the counting of votes scheduled for October 8. Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda has reached out to Phogat.

Asked about Phogat’s candidature for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, Babaria said on Tuesday that 41 seats were discussed in the CEC meeting, adding that neither Vinesh’s nor Bajrang’s candidature was discussed in the meeting. “The names of Vinesh Phogat or Bajrang Punia are not among them. I think there will be clarity on this day after tomorrow,” Babaria said on Tuesday.

Earlier, Vinesh Phogat had joined the protesting farmers at the Shambhu and Khanauri borders of Punjab and Haryana. When asked about his participation in the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, Phogat said, “I will not talk about this, I will not talk about politics. I have come with my family. If you talk about this, you will waste their struggle and fight. The focus is not on me today. The focus should be on the farmers, I am requesting that. I am an athlete, I belong to the entire country. I have nothing to do with which state is going to polls. All I know is that my country is suffering and the farmers are in trouble. Their problems need to be resolved and the first priority of the government should be to resolve this.”

At the Paris Olympics, Phogat was disqualified from the gold medal match in the 50kg category after being found 100 grams overweight. Her request for a joint silver medal was later rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), after which she announced her retirement from wrestling.

Congress, AAP to hold seat-sharing talks

The Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), both part of the INDIA bloc, are holding seat-sharing talks for the Haryana Assembly elections with tough negotiations on both sides even as the Congress central election committee has approved the names of candidates for 66 seats out of 90 till Tuesday.

The Congress has formed a three-member committee, including state party selection committee chairman Ajay Maken, AICC Haryana in-charge Deepak Babaria and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, for seat-sharing negotiations with the Aam Aadmi Party and Samajwadi Party. Party general secretary KC Venugopal will oversee the committee’s work.

According to sources, while the AAP is demanding 10 seats, the Congress is adamant on giving it 7. AAP leader and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha and Congress MP KC Venugopal have already held two rounds of talks and are likely to meet again on Wednesday to finalise the seat-sharing agreement.