In another jolt to the Congress weeks before the Lok Sabha elections, boxer Vijender Singh has joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The Olympian had joined the Congress in 2019 and unsuccessfully contested the general elections from the South Delhi constituency, losing to the BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri.
Sources said the Congress had planned to field the 38-year-old against BJP MP Hema Malini, who has been named as a candidate from the Mathura seat once again. The move is expected to help the BJP consolidate votes from the Jat community, which is especially important in Haryana and Western UP. Mr Singh is expected to campaign extensively for the BJP in these two areas.Â
Mr Singh was the first Indian boxer to win an Olympic medal – a bronze – at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He also won silver medals at the 2006 and 2014 Commonwealth Games and bronze medals at the 2010 edition of the Games as well as the 2009 World Championships.
