Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia To Contest Haryana Polls As Congress Candidates

Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia joined the Congress Wednesday and will contest next month's Haryana Assembly election. Ms Phogat, 30, is expected to challenge for the Julana seat held by the Jannayak Janta Party's Amarjeet Dhanda. Mr Punia, 30, will defend the Congress' Badli seat. 

The two met Congress MP Rahul Gandhi this afternoon.

Ms Phogat and Mr Punia joining the Congress, at this time, is significant because it is both nominating election candidates and is involved in seat-sharing talks with the Aam Aadmi Party.

The two high-profile acquisitions will be seen as strengthening its bargaining position, particularly since some Haryana Congress leaders have expressed reservations about an alliance with the AAP.

An 'in-principle' deal between the two parties was flagged last night by NDTV's sources.

The Congress and the AAP are members of the INDIA bloc that united the opposition ahead of the April-June Lok Sabha election, but the alliance has not been a key factor in state elections since it was formed last year. Mr Gandhi appears keen to change this, understanding the opposition stands a better chance of defeating the BJP, whether at the centre or state, if it stands together.

READ | AAP, Congress Alliance In Haryana? Seat Negotiations Begin: Sources

Sources told NDTV Mr Gandhi had, therefore, pressed the Congress' senior leaders to ally with the AAP for the Haryana election and guard against the division of votes.

Early talks last night said the AAP wants to contest 10 of the state's 90 seats. The Congress, though, was reluctant to concede more than seven, excluding one expected to be given to the Samajwadi Party of ex Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, another INDIA bloc member.

Further talks are expected today, with the AAP's Raghav Chadha and the Congress' KC Venugopal, both Rajya Sabha MPs, handling the negotiations.

Vinesh Phogat's Farmers Connect

For the Congress the hope is that bringing Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia onboard strengthens its appeal among voters in the Hindi heartland state, which the BJP has ruled since 2014.

Ms Phogat's connect with Haryana farmers - lakhs of whom continue to protest against the BJP on issues like legal guarantees for MSP - will also have been a factor in the Congress' consideration.

Last week Ms Phogat visited farmers camped out at a protest site in Shambhu on the Haryana-Delhi border, describing herself as "your daughter" and saying she prays to God to deliver justice for them.

READ | "Your Daughter Stands With You": Vinesh Phogat At Farmers' Protest Site

"Your agitation completes 200 days today. I pray to God that you get what you came for - justice. Your daughter stands with you. I also urge the government... we too are citizens of India and just because we raise our voices it is not political," she said, "You (the government) should hear them."

Then, though, when asked about her political debut, Ms Phogat was circumspect.

Phogat, Punia, Wrestlers Vs Brij Bhushan

Ms Phogat and Mr Punia made headlines last year after leading protests against former wrestling body chief Brij Bhushan Singh, who faces charges of sexual assault and intimidation.

READ | Court Frames Charges Against BJP's Brij Bhushan In Sex Assault Case

He was also a three-time BJP MP at the time but, under fire from the opposition and wary of the optics, was denied a ticket to defend Uttar Pradesh's Kaiserganj Lok Sabha seat.

READ | BJP Leader Brij Bhushan's Son Karan Wins From UP's Kaiserganj

The BJP, instead, fielded his son, Karan Bhushan Singh, who won the seat.

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