Phogat, Punia lend muscle to Cong

IN a boost for the Congress ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, star grapplers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia formally joined the party on Friday.

- PREETHA NAIR & HARPREET BAJWA

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Sources said the party has fielded Phogat from the Julana seat. While Punia will not enter the electoral fray, he has been appointed as the chairman of All India Kisan Congress.

The party also announced the first list of 32 candidates for the Haryana polls. Former chief minister and leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda has been fielded from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi and state congress president Udai Bhan from Hodal.

The first list was released after the party's Central Election Committee met in Delhi. The meeting was attended by Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, former party chief Sonia Gandhi, general secretary (organisation) KC Venugopal, AICC Haryana in-charge Deepak Babaria and former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, besides others.