Vinesh Phogat has claimed victory by defeating her BJP rival, Yogesh Kumar, by 6,015 votes. This win comes just months after she faced disappointment at the Paris Olympics.
Phogat joined the Congress party and successfully contested the elections in Julana, Haryana, securing a victory with a margin of 5,761 votes. This marks Congress’s first triumph in this seat in 19 years. She garnered a total of 65,080 votes, while Indian National Lok Dal candidate Surinder Lathar came in third with 10,158 votes.
In related news, Vinesh Phogat was a key figure in the protests against the former President of the Wrestling Federation of India, Brij Bhushan Singh, voicing her concerns about sexual harassment.
Notably, just hours before the women’s 50 kg freestyle final at the Paris Olympics, Phogat was disqualified for weighing 100 grams over the limit, which prevented her from competing for a medal.
Recently, she claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had attempted to contact her and suggested recording their conversation following the Paris Olympics incident, but she refused.
Phogat was set to compete against America’s Sarah Hildebrandt for the gold medal, but on that morning, her weight was found to be over 100 grams, leading to her disqualification from the final match.