Vinesh Phogat, Wrestler Victory – First-ever election in Julana, Haryana is won by wrestler Vinesh Phogat of BJP; beats Yogesh Kumar
Congress candidate and known wrestler Vinesh Phogat made a surprise in the political arena by winning on the Julana seat of Haryana Assembly Elections. She defeated Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Yogesh Kumar by 6,015 votes for the Indian National Congress. So far, this is her first political victory in an otherwise glorious career as a wrestler.
A winning political debut
Wrestling national icon Vinesh Phogat dived into politics with her candidature from the Julana constituency in Jind district. While still pretty inexperienced in the world of politics, the citizen connect came together with her status of being a champion sportswoman and helped Phogat strike the right chord with the electorates. Vote counting having already begun, Phogat immediately started taking early leads, but the race briefly tightened when she trailed behind her opponent. However, she regained her momentum and maintained a stable lead to emerge victorious.
Phogat’s win, therefore, is not only an edge for the Congress party but also a personal win as she is all set to surrender the athletic field to become a political servant. The Julana constituency is one of the glamourous seats in the district of Jind. It was earlier with the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) nominee, Amarjeet Dhanda, who was conversely from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the battle for the 2019 polls.
The Race for Julana: A Hot Contest ]]
Julana was one of the most keenly watched contests in Haryana’s assembly elections, as predominantly was the battle for Phogat, the sportsperson, who was a Congress ticket contender for the Julana seat against BJP’s Yogesh Kumar and INLD candidate Surender Lather. The chair had alternated previous elections between parties, some winning it and others taking it.
Yogesh Kumar was Phogat’s strong rival who had a good campaign that was launched with the help of BJP, one of the prime regional forces. The BJP, initially, had a good grip and networking in the area; however, Kumar could not break through to the wave which Phogat had received at the grassroots level as well as at the larger electoral level in Julana. Surender Lather was the third candidate from INLD who could not present much competition.
The seat, in the past has witnessed quite a few victories for parties. In the last election that was held in 2019, it was won by Amarjeet Dhanda of JJP. INLD had won the seat the last time during the previous election held in 2014 and another in the year 2009 under the leadership of their candidate Parminder Singh Dhull.
Voter Turnout and Election Dynamics
Haryana: The one-phase election took place in the state on October 5, with a voter turnout recorded at 67.90 percent. Julana recorded a remarkable 74.66 percent turnout. Hence, this might be an indicator of a relatively high level of political interest and engagement in the contest. Several factors might have also led to increased turnouts, of which Vinesh Phogat was a contestant and perhaps attracted more local people to step out and exercise their right to vote.
This win by Phogat in Julana also becomes a significant milestone in the Haryana perspective so far as the political scenario of the constituency is concerned. She grabbed the lost grounds from the Congress party and is now fighting hard to recover those lost grounds. The earlier elections had given a comfortable lead to the BJP to form the government at different junctures in the state, and most constituencies had stiff competition from the Congress, INLD, and other regional parties.
Vinesh Phogat Shifts from Sport to Politics
Olympic wrestling medal winner Vinesh Phogat is added to the long list of sportspersons foraying into electoral politics-a trend that’s increasingly on the rise. Born of a family of wrestlers, Vinesh has been the cynosure of Indian sports, having won numerous international medals, and she is also the first Indian woman to win a medal in wrestling at the Commonwealth and Asian Games. Her popularity and mass appeal as a sportsperson were going to be huge campaigners for her where, through the canvassing process, she could directly connect with the voters at the grassroots level, particularly within the rural areas of Julana.
Interestingly, while her decision to foray into politics was deemed bold, Phogat candidly voiced her need to serve her community and take a contribution towards the development of Haryana as a whole. The overall campaign issues, such as rural development, awareness of women’s rights, and youth engagement, were formulated based on her personal experience as an athlete, one who breaks boundaries and surmounts obstacles.
Hopefully, this victory will bring a new face to Haryana politics. Disciplined, hardworking and persevering character traits built through years of rigorous training and competition are likely to resonate well with her political career as she assumes a new role as elected representative.
Road Ahead for Phogat and the Congress Party
Having emerged victorious in the election, Vinesh Phogat makes her entry into the new window of politics as a newly elected legislator of Julana. Issues before her would be the development requirements of her constituency that majorly holds rural areas and pushing on the developmental agenda she promised during elections. Employment opportunities, agricultural reforms, and the new infrastructure developments would come high in her agenda.
Haryana is definitely at the crossroads and needs this victory to breathe in new life into the party. For the Congress, it is going to be a much-needed lifeline since it would like to regain its status as a strong political force in Haryana. The party has been trying to renovate its base to effectively challenge the BJP, and victories such as that of Phogat in key constituencies are of the utmost significance to determine the future course of the party within the state.
Conclusion: Writing a New Chapter in Haryana Politics
A maiden political victory for Vinesh Phogat from Julana has ushered in a new chapter for both her career and the politics of Haryana. The win depicts the growing appeal of sports personalities in public service and the latent possibility of new leadership in an area like Julana. All eyes, be it her supporters or political analysts, would watch her every step ahead of taking her MLA role from being a champion wrestler to a political leader. The road ahead is full of challenges but all these put to indicate that Phogat is geared to take them head-on.
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