Olympic medalist Vijender Singh joins BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections

The boxer contested the Lok Sabha 2019 elections on Congress ticket.

In a significant political development, Vijender Singh, an Olympic bronze medalist and prominent figure in Indian boxing, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday. This move comes just before the Lok Sabha elections in Delhi, scheduled from 19 April to 1 June across seven phases.

Singh, who hails from the Jat community in Haryana, has been a pioneer in Indian sports, securing a bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and becoming the first Indian boxer to achieve this feat. His illustrious career includes bronze medals at the 2009 World Championships and the 2010 Commonwealth Games, as well as silver medals at the 2006 and 2014 Commonwealth Games, all in the middleweight division.

The transition from sports to politics is not new for Singh. In 2019, he joined the Congress party and contested the general elections from the South Delhi constituency where BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri defeated him.

Party General Secretary Vinod Tawde formalized Singh’s affiliation with the BJP. Joining the party, the boxer said, “This is like a ghar wapsi (home return) for me.“It’s a pleasure to return. The recognition that athletes are receiving both domestically and internationally is truly praiseworthy. Moreover, with the advent of the BJP and the Modi administration, the ease of travel has significantly improved.”

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“I would like to thank PM Modi and the BJP for the respect that sportspersons get under this government. I would like to be a part of this government, help people.,” he added.

The recent developments have dealt a significant blow to the Congress party’s strategy.

As Per news agency PTI, Congress had intended to field Vijender Singh, a prominent figure from the Jat community, against the veteran actress and current Member of Parliament for Mathura, Hema Malini.

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