Seasoned wrestler and new entrant into the political subject Vinesh Phogat shall now be a member of the Haryana Legislative Meeting, representing the constituency of Julana. Contesting on a Congress ticket, Vinesh Phogat received with a margin of 6,015 votes over her closest competitor, pilot Yogesh Kumar from the Bharatiya Janata Get together.
Thought of one in every of India’s prime wrestlers, Ms. Phogat introduced her entry into politics after she retired from wrestling earlier this 12 months, following an unlucky disqualification forward of the gold medal match on the Paris Olympics 2024. This marked her maiden electoral struggle.
Notably her cousin Babita Kumari, additionally a prime wrestler, had contested the Haryana legislative meeting polls in 2019 on a BJP ticket.
Haryana ballot participation
On September 6, Vinesh Phogat and adorned Olympic wrestler Bajrang Punia each joined the Indian Nationwide Congress on the occasion’s Delhi headquarters. Mr. Punia was made the working President of the All India Kisan Congress. Whereas he didn’t compete within the meeting polls, Vinesh Phogat was fielded because the candidate from Julana.
The constituency witnessed an fascinating political contest with one other wrestler within the fray— Aam Aadmi Get together’s Kavita Dalal, a South Asian Video games gold medallist and the primary Indian lady to take part in World Wrestling Leisure (WWE). The others within the fray included Jannayak Janta Get together’s Amarjeet Singh Dhanda, the sitting MLA, BJP’s Yogesh Bairagi, an expert pilot and the Indian Nationwide Lok Dal’s Surender Lather.
Within the closing tally, Ms. Phogat notched 65,080 votes to edge out Mr. Bairagi, the BJP candidate, by a margin of 6015. INLD’s Lather was in a distant third place.
Whereas a novice to political workplace, Ms. Phogat has been vocal about social points. She, together with fellow wrestlers Punia and Sakshi Malik, shaped a pivotal a part of the protests in opposition to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the previous president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), for alleged sexual abuse of a number of girls athletes over time. She additionally expressed help for protests by farmers in Haryana demanding Minimal Assist Costs (MSPs) for varied crops and the success of a number of guarantees made following the protests of 2020-21.
Forward of the elections, political analysts famous that the recognition of wrestlers amongst Haryana’s public may go in favour of the Congress generally and Ms. Phogat specifically.
Sporting journey
Vinesh Phogat was born on August 25, 1994, in Balali village in Charkhi Dadri, Haryana. She misplaced her father on the tender age of 9. She belongs to one in every of India’s most celebrated wrestling households: her cousins Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari are internationally renowed wrestlers and she or he was launched to the game very younger by her uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat, Dronacharya Awardee and wrestling coach of reputation. Whereas Geeta received a gold medal within the 2010 Commonwealth Video games, each Geeta and Babita received bronze medals within the World championships in 2012.
When Vinesh stepped into the sector, just a few thought she was one of many Phogat sisters. Together with the opposite girls wrestlers in her household, Ms. Phogat reportedly needed to cope with opposition from locals who thought of wrestling to be a person’s sport.
Ms. Phogat notched up her first worldwide win with a bronze within the 51kg freestyle class on the 2013 Asian championships. She then received gold within the 2014 Commonwealth Video games in Glasgow, following it up with two extra golds in 2018 and 2022. Ms. Phogat turned the primary Indian lady wrestler to assert gold medals in each the Commonwealth Video games and Asian Video games together with her win within the 2018 Asian Video games in Jakarta. She has additionally received two bronze medals in World Championships, and one gold on the Asian Championships.
Ms. Phogat made her Olympic debut on the Rio Video games in 2016, the place she competed within the freestyle 48 kg class. Her journey, nonetheless, was marred when she dislocated her knee throughout a quarterfinal bout and needed to be carried off the mat on a stretcher. Her outing on the subsequent Olympics (Tokyo 2020) was a wash, together with her putting ninth within the girls’s 53 kg freestyle class. She additionally confronted a suspension after her return by the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) for indiscipline; this was later revoked.
The lead-up to the 2024 Olympics noticed a lot upheaval within the Indian wrestling world. In 2023, Ms. Phogat, together with a number of different elite Indian wrestlers, protested in opposition to Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, the previous president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), for allegedly sexually abusing a number of girls wrestlers.
Forward of the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Ms. Phogat sought to take part within the the 53kg class. This slot nonetheless went to Antim Panghal, and Vinesh competed within the 50kg choice trials, bagging a quota place. Throughout the Video games, Phogat made it to the finals, however was discovered to be 100g chubby on the morning of her gold medal match, inflicting her to be disqualified. Her enchantment for a shared silver was dismissed by the Courtroom of Arbitration for Sport
A day after her disqualification, Phogat introduced her retirement from wrestling by way of a publish on social media, writing “…I don’t have any extra power now. Goodbye Wrestling, 2001-2024.”
Submit her retirement and induction into Congress, her uncle and former coach Mahavir Singh Phogat mentioned he was “saddened” by his niece’s determination to affix politics, saying that she may have accomplished so after the 2028 Olympics.
On a private entrance, Ms. Phogat is married to Somvir Rathee, who can be a wrestler. She resigned from her publish with the Indian Railways quickly after becoming a member of the Congress. She was employed as an Officer on Particular Obligation (OSD) with the Northern Railways.
Printed – October 08, 2024 04:53 pm IST