Haryana Assembly election results: How Vinesh Phogat scored a win in her political dangal

“The truth has won,” exclaimed Vinesh Phogat after the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared former wrestler Vinesh Phogat as the winner of the Julana constituency in the Haryana Assembly elections.

She emerged victorious in her political dangal, defeating her nearest BJP rival Yogesh Kumar by a margin of 6,015 votes. Notably, her victory in Julana also gives the Congress its first win from the constituency in 15 years.

With this, it seems Vinesh’s life has come a full circle; from the highest of highs — when she fought her way to the finals in the Paris Olympics — to the lowest of lows — when she was disqualified for being overweight by a mere 100 grammes.

We take a closer look at her political journey and how Vinesh has remained a fighter on the mat, as well as off the mat.

Vinesh’s political dangal

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It was on September 7, a month after she was disqualified at the Paris Olympics after failing to make weight, that the Congress announced that Vinesh Phogat, the 30-year-old, as their candidate from Julana.

Following the debacle at Paris, Vinesh had announced her retirement from the sport, writing on X, “Ma, wrestling has won, I have lost. Please forgive me, your dreams and my courage, everything is broken. I don’t have any more strength now. Goodbye wrestling 2001-2024. I shall be indebted to you all. Forgive (me).”

With her entry into politics, she traded in her wrestling garb for a traditional salwar-kameez and dupatta and stepped into her new role as neta in her in-laws’ town. “I can put things in compartments in my mind and keep them shut till I am ready or want to deal with them,” she said of her switch in careers.”

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But the switch hasn’t been easy for Vinesh, who started wrestling at a very young age. When asked about her life as a sportsperson, she was quoted as telling Frontline, “Apne liye kab tak roti phiroongi? [How long will I keep crying for myself?] It’s best to forget yourself and march ahead for others.”

And marched she has. Throughout her campaigning, a song has been emblematic of the person she is. The lyrics read: “Karo swagat sherni ka, aa ladke aayi se sarkar ko samajh mai aayi na, chhori ke sapne maar diye. Maari Vinesh Phogat toh haar ke jeeti chhe…”

It appears that her messaging resonated with the people, and they elected her to be their candidate. Bajrang Punia, a fellow wrestler and Congress leader, congratulating her said, “Many congratulations to the country’s daughter Vinesh Phogat for her victory. This fight was not just for one Julana seat, it was not just with 3-4 other candidates, it was not just a fight between parties. This fight was against the strongest oppressive forces in the country. And Vinesh emerged victorious.”

A forever politician

While the Haryana elections were her first formal debut into politics, Vinesh has always been a political individual. Vinesh emerged as one of the faces of the wrestlers’ protest held last year against former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan.

In January 2023, Vinesh along with Bajrang Punia, Sakshi Malik, and others gathered at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, accusing then Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Singh Sharan, who was also a BJP MP, of sexual exploitation and intimidation. The protesters demanded his resignation and dissolution of the federation.

After a two-day protest, the then Sports Minister, Anurag Thakur, had assured Vinesh and the wrestlers about forming an Oversight Committee (OC) to investigate the case further.

In May, the wrestlers returned to the streets of Delhi after the OC report was submitted to the Sports Ministry, but was not made public. The wrestlers further alleged that seven female wrestlers, including a minor, had filed a sexual harassment complaint against Brij Bhushan at the CP police station but the police didn’t register an FIR.

On May 28, the wrestlers made headlines when they were assaulted and detained by police when they marched towards new parliament building on the day of its inauguration. After the incident, the wrestlers travelled to Haridwar to throw their medals into the Ganga river — a moment that brought tears to many as it was broadcast across the world. It was only after much persuasion and cajoling from farmer leaders that Vinesh and her fellow wrestlers reconsidered their decision.

In December as part of the ongoing protests, Vinesh returned her Khel Ratna and Arjuna Award, leaving them at Kartavya Path in New Delhi.

Vinesh has also extended her support to the farmers amid their ongoing protest against the government on the issue of minimum support price for crops. “Faslon aur naslon ko bachane ke liye hum kisan aur mazdoor parivar ke saath khade hain (To save crops and the future generations, I am standing with farmers and labourers). Your daughter stands with you,” said Vinesh in August at the Shambhu border, adding that she is a farmer’s daughter and her family has experienced the daily struggles a farmer faces.

Never stopping, never quitting

For Vinesh, the win isn’t the end of her story, but just the beginning. In earlier interviews, the wrestler-turned-politician had vowed to fix the problem of drinking water in Julana, which, in her opinion, has alarming levels of pollutants.

It will be interesting to see how she navigates the field of politics, but maybe her win in the Haryana elections reinforces the notion that medals alone don’t make a hero.

With inputs from agencies