Olympic wrestlers Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia have entered politics, joining a long line of wrestlers who have tried their hand in the political arena. Dara Singh even served as a Member of Parliament. Let's learn about the wrestlers who contested elections or participated in politics.
Olympic medalist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt has also been active in politics for many years. In the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections, he contested as a BJP candidate from the Baroda seat but was unsuccessful.
WWE wrestler The Great Khali (Dalip Singh Rana) was very active in the Punjab Assembly elections. In 2022, he contested the Punjab Assembly elections on a Congress ticket but could not win. He was also a member of the BJP.
Two-time Olympic medalist Sushil Kumar has been active in the BJP for a long time. He has not contested any elections but is always seen in political activities.
Renowned wrestler and wrestling guru of his time, Satpal Singh has also tried his hand in politics. He did not contest elections but has been very active in the BJP. Satpal Singh has also been the coach of Olympian Sushil Kumar.
Commonwealth Games gold medalist and 'Dangal Girl' Babita Phogat also contested the 2019 Haryana Assembly elections from the Dadri Assembly seat. Contesting as a BJP candidate, Babita faced defeat. This time too, she was actively in the race for the ticket, but the party did not give her the ticket.
Sonika Kaliraman, daughter of renowned wrestler Master Chandgi Ram and the first professional female wrestler, has also been active in the BJP.
Dara Singh, who made a name for himself in the world of acting along with wrestling, also tried his hand in politics. He was nominated to the Rajya Sabha in 2003. He was very active for the BJP. Dara Singh gained nationwide recognition for his role as Hanuman in Ramanand Sagar's Ramayana serial.
Although most of the famous wrestlers who left wrestling and entered politics could not survive in politics for long, there was one successful wrestler from the local arena who challenged the big players of politics and succeeded in creating a new identity in politics - Mulayam Singh Yadav. Mulayam Singh Yadav, the stalwart of politics, was considered among the good wrestlers at the local level.