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Vijender Singh ditches Congress, joins BJP ahead of Lok Sabha elections
Singh, who was earlier in Congress, contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from South Delhi but lost to Ramesh Bidhuri.
Boxer Vijender Singh joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Shortly after joining the saffron party, Singh said, “I have joined the BJP in the interest of the nation and to serve the people. I want to help more and more people.”
He joined the party in the presence of BJP leaders Vinod Tawde, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Rajiv Babbar at party headquarters in New Delhi.
Singh, who was earlier in Congress, contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections from South Delhi but lost to BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri who also won against Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Raghav Chadha.
As per PTI, Singh was being considered to contest the upcoming polls as the Congress party's nominee from Mathura, from where BJP MP and actor Hema Malini is contesting again.
Coming from the Jat community, which has a significant political influence in a large number of seats, especially in his hometown Haryana.
On March 30, Singh wrote a cryptic one-line post on X triggering speculations about his alliance with the Congress. Singh wrote, “Wherever the public wants, I am ready.”
When he joined Congress, Singh wrote, “In more than 20 years of my career in boxing I have always made my country proud in the ring. Now it's time to do something for my countrymen & serve them. I would like to accept this opportunity & thank INC India party, Rahul Gandhi ji and Priyanka Gandhi ji for this responsibility.”
Singh also marched along with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during the first leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra in January last year in Haryana's Karnal.
Singh etched his name in Indian sporting history when he became the nation's first-ever boxer to win an Olympic medal, bagging a bronze at the 2008 Beijing Games. His rise continued as he added a bronze medal from the 2009 World Championships and a gold from the 2010 Commonwealth Games to his medal haul. In recognition of his contributions to Indian sports, Singh was conferred with the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2010.
Singh's sports journey took a dramatic turn in 2012 when allegations of his involvement in a doping scandal surfaced. However, he was later acquitted in the case.
