Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt shows willingness to contest Haryana state assembly elections

BJP leader and Olympic medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt wants to contest the upcoming Haryana state assembly elections from Gohana state assembly. | Photo: PTI

BJP leader and Olympic medallist Yogeshwar Dutt has expressed his willingness to contest the upcoming Haryana state Assembly elections from Gohana constituency on Friday (August 30, 2024).

“I have expressed my desire to contest the elections for Chief Minister and the central leadership. I am a sportsperson, an Olympic medallist, and I have contested elections from the BJP before, so I want to be given a chance,” Mr. Dutt said while talking to reporters.

He added that he wants to contest from Gohana constituency and he has told the leadership the same. “Now it is time for elections so I want to get a chance to contest from Gohana. I cannot be sure about the future but I have expressed my willingness and I have told the leadership that I want to contest,” he added.

Yogeshwar Dutt, who won an Olympic medal at the 2012 Olympics, was defeated in the 2020 by-election for the Baroda Assembly seat by Congress candidate Indu Raj Narwal. Dutt had also lost his seat in 2019 to three-time Congress winner Krishan Hooda.

The BJP Central Election Committee (CEC) held a crucial meeting on Thursday (August 29, 2024) to discuss the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections. During the meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, all 90 seats in the state were discussed. Of these, candidates for 55 seats have been finalized.

The final decision on the remaining 35 seats will be taken today in a follow-up meeting between the Haryana core committee and the BJP president. The party has decided to announce the names of the candidates in a phased manner as preparations for the elections intensify. The meeting, held at the BJP headquarters, was attended by key leaders including BJP National President JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Satya Narayan Jatia, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, K. Laxman, Nayab Singh Saini, Sudha Yadav, Vanathi Srinivasan, Anil Vij, Bhupender Yadav, Biplab Deb, Satish Poonia, Surendra Nagar and Dharmendra Pradhan. Voting for 90 seats in the Haryana Assembly elections will take place on October 1. The results will be announced on October 4.