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Wrestler Vinesh Phogat contested from Julana Assembly seat in Haryana. (Image: ANI)
Phogat was leading by over 5,000 votes as per the ECI site while the last round of counting was underway in Julana.
Wrestler and Congress candidate Vinesh Phogat looked set to win the Julana Assembly election as counting for the seat took place on Tuesday. The Election Commission website showed her leading by over 5,000 votes before the last round of counting while Yogesh Kumar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trailing.
As Phogat neared victory in Julana, congratulatory messages poured in for her. “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,” Olympic medalist and Congress leader Bajrang Punia posted on X (previously Twitter).
Phogat joined the Indian National Congress and entered the world of politics after she retired from wrestling following the Paris Olympics 2024.
Notably, Phogat participated in the wrestlers’ anti-sexual harassment protest against the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India and ex-MP of BJP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.
In addition to Phogat, 11 other candidates have also contested from the Julana Assembly constituency. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Yogesh Bairagi, who earlier served in the Army for nearly nine years and is a former commercial pilot, is being termed to be the key contender against Phogat.
Julana had over 1.85 lakh eligible voters, with 40 percent of them from the Jat community. Voting across all 90 seats in the Haryana Legislative Assembly was conducted in a single phase on October 5.
