Olympic medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh on Thursday, 26 September, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala in New Delhi, news agency ANI reported.
Inducting them into the party, Barala praised the two sportspersons for their contribution to the country and asserted that their presence will help the party in achieving its mission of winning more than 75 seats in the 90-member state assembly.
Dutt is likely to be fielded as the BJP candidate in the Haryana Assembly polls next month, PTI had reported on Wednesday, quoting BJP sources.
After joining the party, Dutt said he has long been impressed with the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his government’s decision to nullify Article 370, which accorded special status to Jammu and Kashmir, has triggered a "new revolution".
Modi has shown that "good things can be done in politics", Dutt added.
Echoing his view, Singh said he will now serve the country in politics after doing so as a sportsperson.
The former captain of the Indian national hockey team was seriously injured when he was accidentally shot in 2006 while on his way to join the national team which was due to leave for the World Cup in Africa two days later.
Dutt, who won the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympic Games, was in contention for a Lok Sabha ticket from BJP for recently held general elections. His name was recommended by the party's state unit, according to PTI.
The wrestler, who hails from Haryana, met the state unit president Subhash Barala in Delhi on Wednesday and informed that he has submitted his resignation from the Haryana Police.
Dutt also won a gold medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2013.
Dutt may get party's ticket for one of the Assembly segments in the Sonepat Lok Sabha constituency, which is his home district as well, PTI quoted sources as saying.
The Assembly polls in Haryana will be held on 21 October.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
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