Congress candidate Vinesh Phogat on Tuesday exuded confidence that the people of Julana will support her in the Haryana Assembly elections and with their blessings she will emerge victorious in the upcoming elections.
"These people have made us win in wrestling and they will make us win (in Haryana elections). We have never been able to do anything without God and elders, even today I am nothing without them. I will go ahead only with their blessings...I am confident that they will support what is right, like they have always done," Phogat said.
Earlier today, Dronacharya awardee and wrestling coach Mahavir Singh Phogat said that he is "saddened" by the decision of the Olympian wrestler and Congress candidate from Julana to join politics, adding that she could have taken the same decision after the 2028 Olympics.
"She did very well in the Paris Olympics but got disqualified in the final. It is my personal opinion that she should participate in the 2028 Olympics. Gold medal is my dream; she did not get it but the people of India gave her immense love and they had expected a Gold from her. People were disheartened...The decision that she has taken, I am saddened by it that she had joined politics. But she could have taken this decision after the 2028 Olympics, it would have been better," Mahavir Singh Phogat told ANI.
He further said that Vinesh Phogat had no plans of of joining politics and contesting the election.
"There was no such planning (of joining Vinesh Phogat politics and contesting elections) earlier. Neither Bajrang, nor she had this idea. I don't know how Congress did it but she had no intentions earlier to contest elections," he said.
Earlier today, Vinesh Phogat inaugurated tha party's election office in Haryana's Julana and performed the havan.
On September 6, Olympian wrestler Vinesh joined the Congress providing a big boost to the party.
Phogat announced her retirement from wrestling a short while after she was disqualified from the Paris Olympic Games after being found overweight by about 100 gm in her 50-kg category weigh-in.
Voting for the 90-member legislative assembly in Haryana will be held on October 5 and the last date for filing nominations is September 12. The counting of votes will be held on October 8.
In 2019 assembly polls, BJP became the single-largest party with 40 seats and Congress won 30 seats.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by DNA staff and is published from ANI)
