Olympic medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and former Indian Hockey captain Sandeep Singh have officially joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) putting all speculations to rest. The two sportsmen joined the BJP in the presence of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala today.

It is possible that both sportsmen get MLA tickets in the upcoming Haryana assembly elections.

Dutt has said in a statement that BJP government’ bold decision to the abrogate Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir helped him to take this crucial decision of joining politics. He said that he was “influenced” by PM Modi who has shown that “good things can be done in politics”.

.@DuttYogi says, #Article370Scrapped played a crucial role in his decision to join politics. He insisted, he was “influenced” by PM Modi. — Anindya (@AninBanerjee) September 26, 2019

Sandeep Singh, echoing the same thoughts said he will now serve the country in politics after doing so as a sportsperson.

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The wrestler, who hails from Haryana, met the state unit president Subhash Barala here on Wednesday and informed that he has submitted his resignation from the Haryana Police.

Dutt who is a freestyle Indian wrestler had won the bronze medal in the 2012 Olympic Games in the 60 kg category. He then went on to win a gold medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and was honoured with Padma Shri in 2013.

Dutt is likely to get the party’s ticket for one of the assembly segments in the Sonipat Lok Sabha constituency, which is his home district as well.

Meanwhile, Sandeep Singh is an Indian professional field hockey player from Haryana and an ex-captain of the Indian national team. In 2006, Singh was seriously injured in an accidental gunshot while travelling to join the national team for the World Cup in Germany. Despite being paralysed for two years, Singh had not only made a full recovery but had gone on to re-establish his place in the team. Singh currently holds a DSP rank in the Haryana Police.

The 2018 Bollywood movie Soorma was based on Sandeep Singh’s life.

Apart from the two sportspersons, former MP and Congress leader Kailasho Saini also joined the BJP in presence of Barala at the Haryana Bhawan here today.

The assembly polls in Haryana will be held on October 21, 2091.