5 Olympians Who Have Contested Elections: Haryana assembly elections are going to be held on 5 October. Before this, Olympians Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat are in the news. The reason behind this is that recently Bajrang Punia and Vinesh Phogat met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. After this, both of them joined the Congress party. Whose pictures are becoming very viral on social media. Vinesh Phogat will also contest the Haryana assembly elections.
This is not the first time that an Olympian is going to contest elections. There are many Olympians in India who have tried their luck in politics and some have also achieved great success in it. Let us know about five such prominent Olympians, who have made a name in politics as well as sports.
- Karni Singh (Shooting)
Karni Singh was the last Maharaja of Bikaner and one of India’s most successful clay pigeon trap and skeet shooters. He was the first Indian athlete to participate in five Olympic Games. His eighth place at the Rome Olympics 1960 was the most impressive performance of his career. Karni Singh entered politics in 1952 and won the Lok Sabha seat from Bikaner. He represented Bikaner in the Lok Sabha for five consecutive times from 1952 to 1977. - Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore (Shooting)
Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who won a silver medal in double trap at the Athens Olympics 2004, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2013 and became an MP from Jaipur Rural in 2014. In his first term, he held the post of Minister of Information and Broadcasting and Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs. He retained his seat in 2019 as well and became an MLA from Jotwara by winning the Rajasthan Assembly elections to be held in 2023. Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore has also won many medals in the Commonwealth and Asian Games. - Vijender Singh (Boxing)
Vijender Singh, who won a bronze medal in the Beijing Olympics 2008, entered politics in 2019. He contested the Lok Sabha elections from South Delhi on a Congress ticket, but lost. However, he remained active in politics and continued to raise his voice on social and political issues. Vijender Singh has now joined the BJP. His performance in sports has also been excellent, he has won many medals in the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games. - Yogeshwar Dutt (Wrestling)
Yogeshwar Dutt won a memorable bronze medal in the men’s freestyle 60 kg event at the London Olympics 2012. In the Haryana by-election 2020 held after the death of Shri Krishna Hooda, Yogeshwar Dutt contested from Baroda assembly constituency on a BJP ticket but lost. Yogeshwar Dutt has so far won a total of eight gold medals in the Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Championships, Asia Games and Asia Championships. - Shreyasi Singh (Shooting)
Shreyasi Singh participated in the mixed trap team and individual women’s trap shooting events at the Paris Olympics 2024. Shreyasi could not win a medal here. But she has won medals in Commonwealth Games, Commonwealth Championship, Asia Games. In the Bihar Assembly Elections 2020, Shreyasi Singh contested from Jamui Assembly constituency on a BJP ticket and won by 41,000 votes.
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