Boxer Manoj Kumar’s elder brother and coach Rajesh eyes Congress ticket in Haryana elections

New Delhi, Aug 27 (PTI) Boxing coach Rajesh Kumar Rajound, who is also the elder brother of former Commonwealth Games gold-winning pugilist Manoj Kumar, is keen to join politics and has applied for a Congress ticket to contest the upcoming assembly elections in Haryana.

The 41-year-old, who hails from Rajond village in Kaithal district, is hoping to secure a ticket from the Kalayat constituency and has met senior Congress leader and former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to present his case.

The elections for Haryana’s 90 assembly constituencies will be held in a single phase on October 1 and the results will be known on October 4.

“I am keen to join mainstream politics, as I believe that through electoral politics, we can significantly contribute to empowering society,” Rajound said.

Kalayat constituency is currently held by BJP’s Kamlesh Dhanda and the Congress last won it in the 2005 assembly elections. It is a part of Kaithal district.

Rajound was the personal coach of Manoj at the peak of his career and also accompanied him to the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he was the only Indian boxer to reach the pre-quarterfinals.

Manoj, who won the CWG gold in the 2010 Delhi edition, is also a two-time Asian Championships’ bronze-medallist and an Arjuna awardee.

In 2013, Rajound established a boxing academy in Kurukshetra, where he trains athletes from rural pockets of the city and the neighbouring Kaithal district.

Rajound is also employed as a coach in the Kurukshtera University.

He claims to have obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the university to contest the elections should he manage to secure a ticket from Congress.