Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia met Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday amid speculation that they might contest the upcoming Haryana assembly elections, scheduled for October 5, on the party tickets, news agency ANI reported citing sources. They are likely to resign from their current positions, ANI added.

Earlier, after returning from the Paris Olympics, Vinesh Phogat had met with former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who said the Congress welcomes anyone who wants to join the party.

Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia also met with Congress general secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal in New Delhi on Wednesday. The ace wrestler retired after being disqualified as she was found overweight ahead of her gold medal bout at the Paris Olympics.

The Bharatiya Janata Party is aiming for a third consecutive term in the the Haryana election, while the Congress seeks to reclaim power from the ruling party.

On Saturday, the Election Commission of India rescheduled the Haryana assembly election, moving the polling date to October 5 from the previously planned October 1.

Vinesh joins farmers’ protest at Shambhu border

Vinesh Phogat recently joined the farmers at the Shambhu border as their protest, demanding a legal guarantee for the minimum support Price (MSP), reached its 200th day on August 31.

When asked if she would contest the polls if the Congress fields her from Haryana, the Indian wrestler said, “I don’t want to talk about it. I have come to meet my family members (farmers) and if you spin it, their fight and struggle will be wasted. The focus shouldn’t be on me, but on the farming community. I am a sportsperson and a citizen of India; elections are not my concern. My only focus is on the welfare of farmers,” Vinesh Phogat told reporters.

Earlier, former Haryana chief minister and leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda had downplayed speculations about former Indian wrestler Vinesh Phogat joining the Congress, terming it a “hypothetical question”.