Yogeshwar Dutt on joining BJP: 'I want to work for the Nation'

Yogeshwar Dutt, the Olympic medallist wrestler, after joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, said that as a youth, he wants to work for the nation. Further, speaking about the abrogation of Article 370, he stated that by abrogating the Article, PM Modi has achieved the impossible. "I am very impressed with him. The country is happy after the abrogation of Article 370," he said. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5 scrapped Article 370, revoking the special status given to the state of Jammu and Kashmir and further bifurcating the state into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. According to reports, Dutt, hailing from Haryana, was seeking for a Lok Sabha ticket from the BJP during the general elections. He has joined the BJP Party just ahead of the Haryana Assembly elections.

Talks of contesting Assembly elections

Reports suggest that Dutt could be fielded as a candidate in the upcoming Haryana assembly polls next month. As announced by the Chief Election Commission (CEC) on Saturday, the polling of the 90 seats of Haryana will take place on October 21. Further, the counting will take place on October 24. According to reports, the term of Haryana Assembly expires on November 2. Further reports suggest that Dutt may contest the elections next month for the Sonipat Lok Sabha Constituency. Currently, the district's seats are held by the BJP which won 47 seats in the 90-member seats in the 2014 elections. According to sources, Dutt met the State Unit President Subhash Barala in New Delhi on Wednesday to inform about his resignation from the Haryana Police. 

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Others who recently joined BJP

On Thursday, the former Indian Hockey captain Sandeep Singh also joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Subhash Barala. Along with this, the Champion wrestler Babita Phogat and her father Mahavir Phogat joined the ruling BJP in August, ahead of the Haryana polls. Phogat is a three-time Commonwealth gold and silver medalist.

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(With ANI inputs)