Olympic medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt and former Indian hockey captain Sandeep Singh on Thursday joined the Bharatiya Janata Party along with Akali Dal MLA Balkaur Singh. They joined the party in the presence of Haryana President Subhash Barala.

Their joining comes ahead of the Assembly elections in Haryana on October 21.

Dutt won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games in London in 2012 and was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013. The BJP might field the 36-year-old wrestler as a candidate in the state polls.

Addressing a press conference, Dutt said that he has long been impressed with the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PTI reported. “Modi had shown that good things can be done in politics,” he said.

Dutt also appreciated the Centre’s move to scrap the special status for Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Indian Constitution. “As a youth, I want to work for the nation,” he told ANI. “PM Modi abrogated Article 370 from Jammu and Kashmir, he achieved the impossible. I am very impressed with him. The country is happy after abrogation of Article 370.”

Sandeep Singh said he will serve the country in politics after his role as a sportsperson. “I will do what the party commands,” he said. He also praised the leadership of the prime minister and said that Modi’s honesty convinced him to join BJP.

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