Kolkata, February 27, 2018 – Swapna Barman, the gold medalist in the heptathlon at the Asian Games, joined the Trinamool Congress on Friday.
She is also likely to be a candidate for the Trinamool in any of the assembly constituencies in her native district of Jalpaiguri in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Barman arrived at Trinamool Bhavan, the state headquarters of the Trinamool, on Friday afternoon and was welcomed into the party by State Education Minister Bratya Basu and Minister of State for Finance (Independent Charge), Chandrima Bhattacharya.
Bhattacharya officially inducted her into the party, handing her the Trinamool Congress flag.
"I have always been inspired by the life of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. That inspiration prompted me to join the Trinamool Congress. I want to work for the welfare of the common people, and I believe that the Trinamool Congress is the best platform for that," Barman told the media after joining the ruling party.
Also present at the event was senior Trinamool leader and Mayor of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Gautam Deb, who praised Barman. "She had made Indians proud in the international sports arena. Now, after entering politics, she will be able to dedicate herself to the development of sports in the state," he said.
In his remarks on the occasion, Basu referred to the protests by wrestlers in New Delhi and said that the way they were treated by the Delhi Police then proved the attitude of the Bharatiya Janata Party towards sports personalities.
Barman won gold at the 2018 Asian Games. However, she later announced her retirement from sports due to injuries. She is currently employed with the Indian Railways.
In January, Chief Minister Banerjee felicitated her at the laying of the foundation stone for the Mahakal Temple in Siliguri. They had a brief interaction at that time. Speculations about Barman joining the Trinamool began then.
