Olympic bronze medallist boxer Vijender Singh quit the Congress to join the Bharatiya Janata Party at its Delhi headquarters on April 3, saying that it was “homecoming” for him and that it was “good to be back”.
Mr. Singh fought the 2019 Lok Sabha election unsuccessfully from the South Delhi constituency on a Congress ticket.
The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratan awardee was considered close to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Mr. Gandhi had dropped by to watch his bouts during the 2010 Commonwealth Games and WBO Asia Pacific Championship at Thyagaraj Stadium in 2016. He was also photographed with Mr. Gandhi during his first Bharat Jodo Yatra.
He had strongly supported the farmers agitation against the now-repealed agriculture laws and the women wrestlers protest.
On joining the saffron party, less than 24 hours after he reposted a video critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Mr. Singh said he was the “same old Vijender” and would call a spade a spade. He, however, said the respect of players had grown during Modi’s rule.
Welcoming him to the party’s fold, BJP’s national general-secretary Vinod Tawde, at a press conference, said the party would use his strength in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and successfully march towards its target of “Developed India” with his induction.
Mr. Singh, a Jat, comes from Bhiwani’s Kaluwas village in Haryana and could help the BJP garner support of his community which is, otherwise, largely perceived as averse to the BJP with the anger against the party having grown in the wake of farmers agitation and wrestlers protest.
His resignation from the Congress came amid the reports — as also suggested by one of the reposts on his X account — that the party was considering to field him from the Mathura Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
