The victory of Congress candidate and former wrestler Vinesh Phogat in the Julana assembly seat in Haryana was confirmed today. “The truth has won,” she said in her first reaction to the victory. Her win comes as the ruling BJP surged ahead, crossing the majority mark in the Haryana assembly, leading in 50 seats, while the Congress is ahead in 35, according to the latest trends from the Election Commission.
The BJP’s emphatic performance in Haryana, setting the saffron party up for a third successive term, defied the predictions of an exit poll that spoke of a Congress resurgence in the state. Ahead of the trends, the 30-year-old Phogat had little reason to lose hope as he said, “Let’s wait for some time. When the certificates arrive, the Congress will form the government.”
Counting votes for the October 5 Haryana elections began at 8 am on Tuesday. Phogat defeated BJP’s Captain Yogesh Bairagi, a retired Army officer, and Aam Aadmi Party’s Kavita Dalal, part of the opposition bloc INDIA, by over 6,000-odd votes.
Having joined the Congress on September 6, Phogat quickly made it onto the party’s candidate list. Reflecting upon her journey, she says, “I am starting a new innings. I want sportspersons to avoid the challenges we face.”
Phogat had spearheaded the long agitation against former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, fighting for their rights. She thanked the Congress party: “It is only during the worst times that one finds out who one’s friends are. The day we were out on the streets, every party except BJP sided with us and felt our pain.”
