Bajrang Punia was named the All India Kisan Congress’s working chairman after he joined the party.
Who is Bajrang Punia ?
Bajrang Punia (born 26 February 1994) is an Indian wrestler, who competes in the 65-kg weight category. At the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Punia won a bronze medal by defeating Kazakhstan’s Daulet Niyazbekov with a 8–0 margin. Punia is the only Indian wrestler to win four medals at the World Wrestling Championships.
He is a recipient of Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India which he gave up as a protest after a close aide of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh was elected as Wrestling Federation of India chief.
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Bajrang Punia named as the All India Kisan Congress’s working chairman
In September 2024, Bajrang Punia joined Indian National Congress and decided to contest the 2024 Haryana Legislative Assembly election, along with fellow wrestler Vinesh Phogat.
In the presence of K. C. Venugopal and senior Haryana congress leaders, wrestler Bajrang Punia joins the congress on Friday, September 6, 2024, at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi, India.
Olympian Bajrang Punia became the functioning chairman of the All India Kisan Congress on Friday, just hours after he joined the Congress party.
Congress national secretary K. C. Venugopal issued a press release stating, “Hon’ble Congress President has approved the proposal of the appointment of Shri Bajrang Punia as the Working Chairman of All India Kisan Congress, with immediate effect.”
Punia expressed gratitude to Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, the President of the Congress, and K. C. Venugopal for “giving such big responsibility.”
Punia wrote on X in Hindi. “My goal is to support and stand by the farmers during the crisis, join them in their struggle, and serve as an authentic member of the organization.”
Punia’s appointment comes amid speculation over whether he could contest in the Haryana assembly elections, as the Congress has fielded Vinesh Phogat from Julana.
In 2023, wrestlers Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat led the protest against former BJP MP and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
Punia said that during their difficult times, the Congress supported them.
“We are committed to strengthening both the Congress and the country.” Everyone in the nation enjoyed the day Vinesh qualified for the finals, but the next day they were all depressed. Bajrang Punia took an indirect shot at the BJP.