Wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who joined the Congress party on Friday, is set to contest the Haryana Assembly election from the Julana seat. 

The Congress’ Central Election Committee decided at a meeting held on Friday.

However, another Olympian wrestler Bajrang Punia, who also joined Congress along with Phogat, did not obtain the ticket to contest the assembly election. But he has been appointed as the president of All India Kishan Congress.

Phogat termed her political innings as a new chapter in her life and said that she would continue to work for the rights of other athletes.

Referring to the ongoing sexual harassment case against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Singh, Phoghat said, “It was only the Congress party who understood our tears. This is a new chapter in my life. I will work for other athletes so that they don’t have to go through what we went through.”

Meanwhile, former president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and BJP leader Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, against whom the wrestlers leveled severe allegations of sexual harassment, accused Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat of ‘cheating’ to attend the games and added that she could not win the tournament as the ‘god punished her.’

“I want to ask Vinesh Phogat whether a player can give trials in 2 weight categories in a day. Can the trials be stopped for 5 hours after the weigh-in? You did not win the wrestling, you went there by cheating. God has punished you for the same,” the former WFI President said.