Asian Games champion Swapna Barman joins TMC

India's 2018 Asian Games gold medallist Swapna Barman entered active politics on Friday, joining the Trinamool Congress (TMC) just months ahead of the upcoming 2026 West Bengal elections.

She was inducted into the state's ruling party by ministers Bratya Basu and Chandrima Bhattacharya in Kolkata.

"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's multifaceted development work has deeply inspired me. I joined the Trinamool Congress today to join her work," said Barman, as per a report in The Indian Express.

This developments comes after weeks of speculations about Barman's potential future in politics, which stemmed from her long public conversation with Banerjee at a public event recently.

Born in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal, Barman excelled as a Heptathlete. Aside from the Asian Games gold, she also has three medals at the Asian Championships and a silver at the Asian Indoor Championships.

Barman was also honoured with the Arjuna Award in 2019.