Gurugram: As the country gears up for the parliamentary elections, former wrestler Babita Phogat — known as the ‘Dangal girl’ — inaugurated office at her Charkhi Dadri residence in Haryana and announced her intention to enter electoral fray, either the parliamentary or the assembly, as advised by the BJP leadership.
Babita hosted a ‘Milan Samaroh‘ (get-together) Sunday and invited prominent people from the area. Sombir Sangwan, Independent MLA from Charkhi Dadri, Kiran Kalkal, district president of the BJP, and Bakshi Ram Saini, president of the local municipal council, were among the attendees. Babita’s father Mahavir Singh Phogat was also present at the event.
“Amid the warmth of relationships and sweetness of belongingness, Dadri residence became witness to the get-together ceremony,” Babita posted in Hindi on the social media platform ‘X’ (formerly Twitter).
“January 2024 will be remembered in the country in the name of Ram Mandir. Along with the Ram Mandir, this Makar Sankranti meeting at Dadri Niwas will be a memorable moment in my life. Appealed to Dadri family for participation in carrying forward the campaign being run by Honorable Prime Minister of the country Shri @narendramodi JI.”
रिश्तों की गर्माहट और अपनेपन की मिठास,
मिलन समारोह का गवाह बना दादरी निवास।
जनवरी 2024 देश में राम मंदिर के नाम से याद रहेगा। मेरे जीवन में राम मंदिर के साथ दादरी निवास की इस मकर संक्रांति का मिलन समारोह स्मरणीय पल रहेगा।
देश मे माननीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी द्वारा… pic.twitter.com/ZnBirAwW0W
— Babita Phogat (@BabitaPhogat) January 14, 2024
After the havan at her home office on Loharu road in Charkhi Dadri, Babita told the media that she, like other BJP workers, was working on promoting the benefits of the schemes and policies of the state and central governments to the people.
She also took the opportunity to slam the Congress leaders (Sonia Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge) for rejecting the invitation to attend the pran pratishtha ceremony in Ayodhya on 22 January. Babita told the media that the Congress leaders only visit temples during polls for electoral benefits and have no place for Hindu deity Ram in their hearts and minds.
Speaking to ThePrint Monday, Babita said the havan and ‘Milan Samaroh’ was organised because now she will be living at her Charkhi Dadri residence, which has an attached office to meet people.
“So far, I was living in my Nazafgarh and Sonipat residences and was visiting Charkhi Dadri frequently. But now, I will be permanently residing in Charkhi Dadri,” said Babita, who joined the BJP in 2019.
Asked about her electoral plans, the former wrestler said she contested the assembly election from Charkhi Dadri in 2019 on BJP ticket, and was ready to contest again in both the parliamentary and the assembly polls. “It is for the party to take a call on which of the two elections they want me to contest.”
The event comes days after Babita’s brother-in-law Bajrang Punia (married to her sister Sangita Phogat) and cousin Vinesh Phogat returned their Padma Shri, and Khel Ratna and Arjuna Awards, respectively.
Last month, Sakshee Mallikh announced her decision to quit wrestling to protest the election of Sanjay Singh — the aide of BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — as president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).
When asked about the agitation by Mallikh and others, Babita said, that with the WFI body’s supension by the sports ministry and the formation of a three-member ad hoc panel by the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) to handle the day-to-day affairs of the sports, “the issue is settled now.”
She added that now senior national championships, which will be held in Jaipur from 2 to 5 February, have also been announced by the ad hoc committee.
Babita’s political journey
Babita is the second among the four daughters of Mahavir Singh Phogat — Geeta being the eldest, and the younger two being Ritu and Sangita.
Babita won a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, bettered it to gold in 2014, and then snatched silver in 2018.
Babita won a silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, bettered it to a gold medal in 2014, and then snatched silver in 2018. She also won a bronze medal at the 2012 World Wrestling Championships.
Her political journey began with the BJP in 2019 when she contested the state polls from Charkhi Dadri but came third with 24,786 votes and 19.59 percent vote share.
She lost to the sitting Independent MLA Sombir Sangwan, who won 43,849 votes (34.66 percent vote share) followed by Jannayak Janata Party’s (JJP) Satpal Sangwan, who secured 29.577 votes (23.38 percent vote share).
Within days of the elections, Babita married wrestler Vivek Suhag. In October 2020, she was appointed chairperson of the Haryana Mahila Vikas Nigam, and her three-year term ended last year.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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