Paralympian Deepa Malik and INLD MLA Kehar Singh Rawat join BJP

Deepa Malik, the first Indian woman athlete to win a medal at Paralympics joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday, just days ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Other than Malik, INLD chiarman Kehar Singh Rawat also joined the saffron party. 

Both Malik and Rawat joined BJP today at the party headquarters in Delhi in presence of BJP national general secretary Dr Anil Jain and Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala. 

Delhi: Paralympian Deepa Malik and INLD MLA Kehar Singh Rawat joins Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). pic.twitter.com/H9iqxtQGfC

— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2019

48-year-old Malik became the first Indian woman athlete to win a medal at Paralympics with her silver in the women's shotput event at the Rio Games in 2016.

"The work that PM Modi has done for women empowerment and his thoughts towards women, is evident. He has put women in leading portfolios, he has also worked extensively for the 'divyangs'," said Malik after joining the BJP. 

Today, March 25, is the last day to file nomination for the first phase of Lok Sabha elections which will be held on April 11 on 91 seats across 20 states. 

On the other hand, Kehar Singh Rawat had hogged the headline in December last year after he almost came to blows with Social Justice and Empowerment Minister Krishan Kumar Bedi during the maiden sitting of the Haryana Assembly's Winter Session.