Krishna Poonia joins Congress ahead of Rajasthan polls
Poonia is the second high-profile sportsperson to join a political party ahead of polls. Recently, 2004 Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore joined the BJP.
Indian discus thrower Krishna Poonia joined the Congress today at a rally addressed by Rahul Gandhi ahead of December polls in the state.
She was the only Indian woman track and field athlete to have won an individual gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The 36-year-old resigned from the Indian Railways on Tuesday, sparking speculation that she would contest in the assembly elections, perhaps from one of the six constituencies in Churu.
An officer with the Railways for 11 years, she is required to resign under election laws which bar people working for any public sector undertaking from contesting polls.
Ms Poonia, who belongs to a jat family from Haryana's Hisar district, lives in Jaipur with her husband Virender Singh Poonia.
Virender Singh is a former athlete who coached Krishna after their marriage.
Poonia is the second high-profile sportsperson to join a political party ahead of polls. Recently, 2004 Olympics silver medallist shooter Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore joined the BJP.