Vinesh Phogat, the Indian wrestler who faced disqualification at the Paris Olympics, has joined the Congress party and filed her nomination for the Haryana Legislative Assembly Elections. She will be contesting from the Julana Constituency in Jind.
Phogat, who was disqualified from the women’s freestyle 50kg final in Paris after being found 100 grams overweight during a second weigh-in, has publicly criticized the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) for the lack of support she received. Her appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for a joint silver medal was also denied. Phogat expressed dissatisfaction with the support she received from the IOA and accused IOA President Usha of using her situation for political gain.
In her affidavit filed with her nomination papers, Phogat declared her assets, which include three cars and a plot in Sonipat. Her vehicle assets include a Volvo XC 60 valued at Rs 35 lakh, a Hyundai Creta worth Rs 12 lakh, and a Toyota Innova priced at Rs 17 lakh, for which she is repaying a Rs 13 lakh loan. Her husband, Somvir Rathee, owns a Mahindra Scorpio valued at Rs 19 lakh. Additionally, Phogat has a plot in Sonipat valued at Rs 2 crore. Her income for the last financial year was reported at Rs 13,85,000.