Two months after a heartbreaking disqualification at the Paris Olympics and announcing her retirement from wrestling, Vinesh Phogat has made a winning start to her political career. On Tuesday, Vinesh, representing the Indian National Congress, secured a resounding victory in the Julana seat during the Haryana state assembly elections.
Phogat, a two-time world championship bronze medallist, defeated Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate Captain Yogesh Bairagi, a former Army officer, and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) ex-wrestler Kavita Devi in a three-way contest. The Election Commission of India confirmed her victory, with the BJP still leading in the overall polls and set to form the government for a third consecutive term.
Vinesh’s foray into politics came just a month after officially joining Congress on 6 September, alongside fellow wrestler Bajrang Punia. Her swift rise in politics follows a stellar sporting career, where she came close to making history at the Paris Olympics.
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In Paris, Vinesh had qualified for the Olympic wrestling final in the women’s 50kg category after winning three consecutive bouts on 6 August. She was set to become the first Indian woman wrestler to clinch an Olympic medal in the final. However, disaster struck when she was disqualified from the event after narrowly failing her second weigh-in by just 100 grams.
Devastated by the disqualification, Vinesh announced her retirement from wrestling soon after. Despite appealing the result with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), her disqualification was upheld, leaving her Olympic dream in tatters.
Despite this setback, Vinesh has now found success in a new arena. Her win in the Julana constituency is a significant milestone as she transitions from the wrestling mat to the political stage. With her victory, she becomes one of the most prominent faces of the Congress party in Haryana, offering a fresh chapter in her career.
Her victory will be celebrated not just by her supporters in Congress but also by those who have followed her wrestling journey, marking her transition from a sporting icon to a rising political figure in Haryana.
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