India's wrestling star Vinesh Phogat could be in line to contest the upcoming Haryana Assembly Elections, as per reports. In a report published by IANS, a source close to her family stated that the 29-year-old has been reached to by few political leaders to get a ticket for the upcoming polls, even though the former has denied joining politics actively. (More Sports News)
"Yes, why not? It's likely that in the Haryana assembly you see Vinesh Phogat vs Babita Phogat and Bajrang Punia vs Yogeshwar Dutt. Some political parties are trying to convince her," some sources close to Phogat's family were quoted as saying by IANS.
Vinesh, who recently returned from a heartbreaking Paris Olympics campaign, wherein she met with disqualification from the women's 50kg category after she failed to weigh-in by 100 gms on the second day of her gold medal bout.
However, the wrestler was welcomed back to India as a champion and was also accompanied by her fellow wrestlers, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia.
Vinesh had arrived in India on Saturday morning and was met with loud cheers from her fans and loved ones at the IGI airport in Delhi. The 29-year-old wrestler won three bouts in a row on August 6 before making it to the final, however she missed out on a medal opportunity. Vinesh was disqualified and was ranked last as per the latest UWW rules.
She even appealed to the Court of Arbitration (CAS) for a shared silver but her appeal fell on deaf ears.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the valiant efforts of wrestler Vinesh despite the latter failing to land a medal at the recently concluded Paris Olympic Games 2024.
PM Modi, during an interaction with Indian contingent at his residence in Delhi on Independence Day, said that Vinesh's feat of becoming the first wrestler to make into the Olympics final was a 'moment of great pride' for the country.
“Vinesh became the first Indian to reach the wrestling finals. It is a moment of great pride for us,” said PM Modi.
