The Haryana Assembly polls, slated to be held on October 5,
are gearing up to be a heated affair with multiple factors at play. Anti-incumbency sentiments, farmers’ protests, wrestlers’ protests, government employees’ discontent and the dynamics of the Jat community are expected to play pivotal roles in the crucial elections.
A major point of intrigue is wrestler Vinesh Phogat’s rumoured foray into state politics. If she decides to enter politics, it is expected to fuel the controversy around former Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief
Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexually harassing several women wrestlers.
Several wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, had participated in the protest against Singh.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, had cashed in on the wrestlers’ issues and kept the controversy alive in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls. They also said they would make it a poll plank in the Haryana Assembly polls.
On Saturday, Vinesh Phogat, 29, joined the farmers in the Shambhu border during their protest and expressed her support to them, saying she was with them. The wrestler had met khap panchayats in Jind on August 27 and said she was under pressure to join politics.
“There is pressure to join politics. But I will decide after consulting my elders. When my mind is clear, I will think about what to do next as I am still in deep shock,” Vinesh Phogat told reporters while referring to her disqualification from her gold medal bout in the 50 kg women’s category
at the Paris Olympics after she was found to be 150 grams overweight.
Vinesh Phogat comes from a family with a political background. Her cousin, Babita Phogat, contested the 2019 Haryana Assembly election on a BJP ticket from the Dadri constituency but lost. Social media users noted a rift between the cousins when Babita and her husband indirectly targeted Vinesh during the wrestlers’ protest last year.
Interestingly, while many state wrestlers supported Vinesh Phogat during the Olympics, the cousins did not see eye to eye, except when it came to targeting the Congress.
Vinesh Phogat actively participated in the protest against Brij Bhushan Singh over sexual harassment charges. In contrast, Babita alleged that the protest was organised at the behest of Congress leaders. It is believed that Vinesh Phogat leans towards the Congress.
Sources suggest that if Vinesh Phogat decides to contest the election, she may run against Babita in the Dadri constituency.
Most wrestlers, including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, and Bajrang Punia, joined the protest against Brij Bhushan Singh last year. Punia even
returned his Padma Shri award as a mark of protest. This issue resonated during the Lok Sabha elections and is now becoming a key issue in the Haryana Assembly polls.
The Jat community and farmers expressed their discontent during the Lok Sabha elections, which benefited the Congress. The Congress currently leads in rural areas, and a victory in 42 assembly segments would indicate that rural Haryana has supported the party.
The discontent extends beyond the Jats to village sarpanches and farmers, who are unhappy with the digitisation efforts, particularly the Parivar Pahachan Patra scheme. Launched by the BJP government in 2020, the scheme aimed to streamline service distribution by creating a database of beneficiaries.
Anti-incumbency sentiment against the BJP in Haryana is not limited to the Jats and farmers. Wrestlers and sarpanches are also believed to be dissatisfied with the state government. Despite winning all 10 Lok Sabha seats in 2019, the BJP did not induct a single Jat leader into the Union Cabinet, and no one from the community has been appointed Chief Minister since 2014.
There are murmurs in political circles that if Vinesh Phogat decides to enter active politics, she might join the Congress. Vinesh Phogat has met with khap panchayats and farmers in Jind, Rohtak, and the Shambhu border. The khap panchayat in Rohtak even awarded her a gold medal.
“I was also supported by the farmers when I was in trouble,” Vinesh Phogat said after meeting with farmers and khap leaders.
The Congress sent feelers to Vinesh Phogat after she announced her
retirement from wrestling . Party MP Deepender Singh Hooda, the son of former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, was seen with the wrestler when she returned home from Paris. Both Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his son called for Vinesh Phogat’s nomination to the Rajya Sabha . However, she is not eligible as she is under 30 years of age.
According to sources close to Vinesh Phogat’s family, she is likely to join the Congress.
Meanwhile, the buzz about Vinesh Phogat joining the Grand Old Party was met with sharp reactions from her uncle Mahavir Singh Phogat and cousin Babita Phogat. In a tweet, Babita Phogat criticised the Congress, saying, “One can learn how to find an opportunity in a calamity.”
“While the country and Vinesh have yet to recover from the setback of the Olympic incident, Deepender and his father were busy making political gains from the defeat. Vinesh is a champion of champions, and Congress is a champion of politics, rarely caring about players’ pain. This is shameful and worth pondering,” Babita said.
Interestingly, Mahavir Singh Phogat termed Bhupinder Hooda’s statement a “political stunt.” He reminded him that his daughter Geeta Phogat was never considered for a Rajya Sabha seat, despite winning multiple medals during his tenure as Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, reacting to the speculation, Bhupinder Singh Hooda stated that Congress would welcome Vinesh Phogat if she decides to enter active politics.
“This is a very hypothetical question. Players do not belong to a political party; they belong to the whole nation. We welcome everybody when she joins our party,” he said, adding that Vinesh Phogat should be honoured on par with a medal winner.
While Vinesh Phogat has yet to announce her political ambitions, many parties are keen for her to join their ranks. Her connection with the khap panchayats and the farmers underscores her potential to garner their support if she contests an election.
