Even as the Congress suffered a setback in Haryana assembly election 2024, its star candidate and former Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat won the Julana seat. She defeated BJP's Yogesh Bairagi by a margin of 6,015 votes.
After missing out on a chance to win a historic Olympics gold earlier this year, Vinesh had taken the political plunge ahead of the Haryana assembly elections, after retiring from wrestling.
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One of the prominent faces of the wrestlers' protest against former Wrestling Federation of India chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Singh over sexual harassment allegations, Vinesh was fielded from the Jat-dominated constituency that houses her village in the Jind district.
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Vinesh was expected to score an easy win, but former Air India pilot Bairagi gave her a tough fight, logging almost 60,000 votes. Given the huge crowds that thronged Vinesh’s rallies, it has come as a surprise to many that she won by a small margin. “Although she has won from Julana, the low margin shows why the Congress is loosing in other Jat-dominated segments,” said a Congress party worker. “The close contest on this seat, in some way, reflects the overall performance of the Congress.”
Vinesh’s campaign had revolved around her fight against Brij Bhushan Singh. Post her win, the former WFI chief took a dig at her saying she used his name to win, which proves that he was a “great man”.
Vinesh had openly criticised the ruling BJP for its detrimental policies for women, youth, and farmers in particular. She had promised that if voted to power, the Congress will make sure that sports will get a fillip in Haryana. With the Congress likely to fall short of majority, it remains to be seen how much she can build on her maiden win.