New Delhi(PTI):Krishna Poonia,Ace discus thrower is expected to join the Congress Party at a rally in Rajasthan, where she is also likely to contest in the upcoming state Assembly elections slated for December 1.

Ms Poonia, the only Indian woman track and field athlete to have won an individual gold medal in the Commonwealth Games in 2010 here, resigned from the Indian Railways on Monday so as to join the Congress Party and prepare for the polls.

“Poonia has submitted her resignation from the Railways. She has been associated with us for many years and we are proud to have her as our employee. She is a great sportsperson as well as a youth icon of the country, especially among the women. We wish her all the success in life,” a top Railway source told.

The rally in Churu will be addressed by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi.

Ms Poonia has been with the Railways for 11 years as a Gazetted-ranked officer and she is required to resign as under election laws, any person who wants to contest polls cannot be employed in a public sector undertaking.