Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, representing Congress, won the Julana seat in Jind district on Tuesday, marking her debut election victory. Phogat secured 65,080 votes, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) candidate Yogesh Bairagi by a margin of 6,015 votes. Bairagi, a professional pilot and the state youth wing’s Vice President, garnered 59,065 votes. Surender Lather of the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) finished a distant third with 10,158 votes.
The election also saw Amarjeet Dhanda of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) securing just 2,477 votes, and Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate Kavita Dalal finishing with only 1,280 votes. Dalal, India’s first female WWE wrestler, hails from Julana, while Phogat is from Balali in Charkhi Dadri but is married into a family from Julana. The contest was framed as a battle between a local “beti” (daughter) and a “bahu” (daughter-in-law).
Phogat, a Commonwealth and Asian Games gold medalist, was one of the prominent faces in last year’s protest against former Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh. Her win marked Congress’ first victory in Julana since 2009, but despite Phogat’s success, the party trails the BJP, which is poised to form its third consecutive government in Haryana.
Also Read: Haryana Election Results: BJP Surprises With Early Lead, Shifting Celebrations
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