Former Olympian wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday won from Julana constituency with over 6000 votes.
Notably, the party last won the seat in 2005. Phogat’s win is historic as the the grand old party managed to grab the seat after 19 years
The ruling BJP has crossed the majority mark in the Haryana assembly and was leading on 49 seats, while the Congress was ahead on 35, according to the latest trends available on the Election Commission website.
Among prominent candidates, Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Congress leaders Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Vinesh Phogat, Udai Bhan, Independent candidate Savitri Jindal, were ahead on their respective seats. However, senior BJP leader Anil Vij, INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala and JJP’s Dushyant Chautala were trailing.
Olympians Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia — well known for their athletic prowess as well as for leading the wrestlers’ protest against then WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh — had entered the political arena last month by joining the Congress.
Phogat is in the fray up against former Army captain and BJP candidate Yogesh Bairagi for the Julana seat in Haryana. Other competitors include incumbent Julana MLA and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) candidate Amarjeet Dhanda, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate and wrestler Kavita Dalal.
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won the Julana seat from 2009 to 2019. The Congress has last won this seat in 2005.
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Source: Live Mint
