Haryana Election Results 2024: Vinesh Phogat wins from Julana, Congress grabs seat after 19 years
Congress candidate and Olympian Vinesh Phogat is likely to give the party its first victory in the Julana seat. According to the early trends, she is leading against her BJP rival Yogesh Bairagi.
Haryana Election Results 2024: In a major win, Congress candidate and Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat won from Julana constituency after a tight contest with BJP's Yogesh Bairagi.
Vinesh Phogat secured 65,080 votes and defeated her BJP rival by a margin of 6,015 votes. BJP's Yogesh Bairagi secured 59,065 after a close fight with Phogat.
After winning from Julana, Vinesh Phogat said, "This is the fight of every girl, every woman who chooses the path to fight. This is the victory of every struggle, of truth. I will maintain the love and trust that this country has given me."
"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, and it was not just a fight between parties. This fight was against the strongest oppressive forces in the country. And Vinesh emerged victorious," Bajrang Punia said.
Congress won the Julana seat after 19 years.
Other candidates from Julana included Amarjeet Dhanda, an incumbent Julana MLA and Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) candidate, and Kavita Dalal, an Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate and wrestler.
Following the early trends, Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal expressed her dissatisfaction with AAP and Arvind Kejriwal, saying "a candidate was fielded to defeat Vinesh Phogat."
"He came to Haryana only to seek revenge against Congress. He falsely accused me of being a BJP agent, yet today he is betraying the INDI Alliance and siphoning votes from the INC! Setting aside everything, a candidate was even fielded to defeat Vinesh Phogat. Why has it come to a point where you can't even save your deposits in your home state? There’s still time—drop your ego, clear your vision, stop the theatrics, and focus on working for the people," she posted on X.
Julana seat has received a lot of attention, especially since the Congress party nominated Phogat, who made headlines for both her athletic achievements and her fight for wrestlers' rights. Julana is not only Phogat's seat, but also the hometown of her in-laws, giving a personal touch to her campaign.
Julana Assembly seat is located in the Jind district. Jind district has five assembly seats: Julana, Safidon, Jind, Uchana Kalan, and Narwana. According to the media, there is a close race between Uchana Kalan and Narwana. Congress can win the remaining three seats.
Jind, has long been a political battleground, with several parties competing for power. The JJP's Amarjeet Dhanda won Julana seat in 2019, indicating the party's appeal in a region with shifting affiliations among voters. In previous elections, the INLD's Parminder Singh Dhull won both the 2009 and 2014 assembly elections, while the Congress's Sher Singh retained the seat in 2005. This history highlights the competitive nature of the constituency and the hurdles that each contender faces.