'Don't know how Congress did it': Mahavir Singh Phogat opposes niece Vinesh's decision to contest Haryana polls

Former wrestler and Olympian Vinesh Phogat's uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat is not so pleased with his niece's decision to contest the upcoming Haryana assembly elections. Vinesh is all set to contest the upcoming Haryana polls from the Julana assembly constituency on a Congress ticket. 

Commenting on the development, Phogat said that previously, there was no planning of either Bajrang Punia or Vinesh Phogat joining politics. "Neither Bajrang, nor she had this idea. I don't know how Congress did it but she had no intentions earlier to contest elections," the former wrestler said. 

He said that Vinesh should have participated in the 2028 Olympics, while adding that winning a gold medal is his dream for her.

"Gold medal is my dream, she did not get it but the people of India gave her immense love and they had expected a Gold from her. People were disheartened," Phogat said. Furthermore, he said that she should have decided to take the plunge into politics after the 2028 Olympics. 

"The decision that she has taken, I am saddened by it. But had she taken this decision after 2028 Olympics, it would have been better," he said. Vinesh was disqualified from the 2024 Olympics as she was found to be 100 grams overweight just before the women's 50 kg final.

Her appeal against the disqualification was rejected by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS), following which Vinesh chose to retire from wrestling. Vinesh was confident of winning the Julana assembly seat in the upcoming Haryana elections.

When the Congress announced her name from the Julana assembly seat, she said that nothing can be bigger than being a winner in people's eyes.

Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, BJP leader and former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), on Sunday claimed that the Hooda family propped up the protests against him by putting wrestlers' prestige at stake. Singh was in the eye of a storm when he was accused of sexual assault by several wrestlers. 

Drawing a Mahabharata analogy, Singh said: "In the gambling that took place in the Mahabharata, Draupadi was put at stake. The Pandavas lost... The Hooda family... put the honour of our daughters and sisters at stake."

Voting for the 90-member Haryana assembly will be held on October 5 and the counting of votes will be held on October 8. In the 2019 Haryana polls, BJP became the single-largest party with 40 seats and the Congress won 30 seats.