Indian heptathlete Swapna Barman on Friday joined the All India Trinamool Congress at the party headquarters in Kolkata, months before the West Bengal Assembly elections. She was handed the party flag by state ministers Bratya Basu and Chandrima Bhattacharya in the presence of Siliguri Mayor Goutam Deb.
Announcing her decision, Barman said she was inspired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s struggles and her rise from the grassroots. Welcoming her into the party, Basu said, “We welcome her into our party. I am reminded of the films 'Chak De' and 'Dangal' today,” he said. “From the Trinamool Congress family, we want to say 'Chak De Swapna.”
Today, in the presence of Shri @basu_bratya, Smt. @Chandrimaaitc and Shri @gautamdebaitc, Arjuna Awardee and 2018 Asian Games gold medallist Smt. Swapna Barman joined the Trinamool Congress family.
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) February 27, 2026
We warmly welcome her and are confident that, inspired by the leadership of Smt.… pic.twitter.com/SxHv9FcSzC
Who is Swapna Barman?
Barman has a rare condition of having six toes on each foot, which made it difficult for her to find running shoes and also resulted in pain during training. Despite all this, she did not give up on her passion for athletics and continued training at the Sports Authority of India campus in Kolkata. In 2016, she got support from the GoSports Foundation through the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme.
Her moment of glory came at the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships, where she won gold in the heptathlon event. She collapsed during the final 800 meters event but had already accumulated enough points to win the gold. In 2018, she won gold at the Asian Games despite having a jaw injury.
She was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2019. In 2021, she won gold at the Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships. At the 2022 National Games, she won gold in both the heptathlon and high jump events, setting a new record of 1.83 meters at the Games.
