Churu, Rajasthan: Indian discus thrower Krishna Poonia joined the Congress today at a rally addressed by Rahul Gandhi ahead of December polls in the state.
She was the only Indian woman track and field athlete to have won an individual gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The 36-year-old resigned from the Indian Railways on Tuesday, sparking speculation that she would contest in the assembly elections, perhaps from one of the six constituencies in Churu.
Ms Poonia, who belongs to a jat family from Haryana's Hisar district, lives in Jaipur with her husband Virender Singh Poonia.
Poonia is the second high-profile sportsperson to join a political party ahead of polls. Recently, 2004 Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore joined the BJP.
She was the only Indian woman track and field athlete to have won an individual gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The 36-year-old resigned from the Indian Railways on Tuesday, sparking speculation that she would contest in the assembly elections, perhaps from one of the six constituencies in Churu.
Ms Poonia, who belongs to a jat family from Haryana's Hisar district, lives in Jaipur with her husband Virender Singh Poonia.
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Poonia is the second high-profile sportsperson to join a political party ahead of polls. Recently, 2004 Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore joined the BJP.
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