Babita Phogat, Mahavir Phogat join BJP

International wrestler Babita Phogat and her father Mahavir Phogat, a noted wrestling coach, joined the BJP on Monday. They joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in the presence of Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, party's general secretary in charge of Haryana Anil Jain and its state chief Subhash Badala.

Lauding the father-daughter duo, Rijiju said Babita Phogat has brought laurels to the country by bagging medals at several international events. Her father is also an exemplary person for coaching his daughters and making them international level wrestlers.

The BJP believes that the induction of Phogats into the party will help it politically in the poll-bound Haryana. Assembly elections are due in the state later this yera. The Phogat household came to be known nationwide following the success of Hindi film Dangal, which is loosely based on the lives of Phogat sisters, all of them wrestlers, and their father who coached them against all odds.