Vinesh Phogat resigns from Indian Railways amid buzz over Congress entry

Vinesh Phogat

Olympian Vinesh Phogat on September 6 resigned from her post in the Indian Railways. The development comes amid speculation that she will join Congress ahead of assembly polls in Haryana.

"Serving Indian Railways has been a memorable and proud time of my life," Phogat said in a post on X. "At this point in my life, I have decided to separate myself from the railway service and have submitted my resignation to the competent authorities of the Indian Railways. I will always be grateful to the Indian Railway family for this opportunity given to me for the service of the nation," she added.

According to reports, wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia are likely to join the Congress in the run up to Haryana assembly polls, set to take place in a single phase on October 5.

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Vinesh Phogat (@Phogat_Vinesh) September 6, 2024

On September 4, both the wrestlers met Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi in the national capital. After their meeting, speculations arose of their potential entry in the grand old party, however, no official statement was made in this regard.

At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Phogat was disqualified from the 50 kg gold medal bout after she was found to be 100 grams overweight. She had stayed back in Paris after challenging her disqualification in the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and demanding a joint silver. However, her application was dismissed by CAS.

Following her disqualification, Phogat had announced her retirement from the sport. In a heartfelt post on X, she wrote in Hindi, “Mom, wrestling won against me, I lost. Forgive me. Your dream, my courage, everything is broken. I don't have any more strength now. Goodbye, wrestling 2001-2024,” she wrote.

Since her return from Paris, there has been a chatter that she could enter active politics like her cousin Babita who is a BJP MLA.