As Vinesh gets gold medal from Sarvkhap in Rohtak, politics continues around possibilities of her contesting polls

Thanking for the honour bestowed upon her, Vinesh said, “My fight has not ended, it has rather just begun.”

Vinesh has yet not announced her future plans but there are speculations that she might make her debut in state politics in the upcoming Assembly polls most likely on a Congress ticket. If she joins Congress and decides to contest upcoming polls, it could certainly be a game changer for the resurging Congress that has been in the opposition in Haryana for the past 10 years.

Former Haryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda was the first to rake up the issue by announcing that if he had adequate numbers of Congress MLAs in Vidhan Sabha, he would have ensured Vinesh’s entry into Rajya Sabha.

JJP’s Dushyant Chautala had also challenged Hooda to declare Vinesh as the opposition’s joint candidate for Rajya Sabha against BJP’s Kiran Choudhry, who is now set to reach the upper House unopposed.

On Sunday, Haryana finance minister JP Dalal took it even further when he told mediapersons in Loharu, “Vinesh is Haryana’s and the nation’s daughter. I would like to urge Bhupinder Hooda that if he has so much love for her, he should field Vinesh as an Independent candidate from Garhi Sampla-Kiloi, which Hooda represents. We will also speak to our party and support her in the Vidhan Sabha polls.”

Dalal added that another wrestler Babita Phogat should also be fielded as an Independent candidate and everybody should support them. “They should be kept above party lines and every party will support them. Hooda should stop using them and start using farmers. If he has so much love for farmers, Hooda should talk to them and field them as Independent candidates so that we can also talk to our party and support them,” Dalal added.

Congress Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda had already held a roadshow from IGI airport in New Delhi to Vinesh’s Balali village in Charkhi Dadri on the day she arrived from Paris. Vinesh too went to Bhupinder Hooda’s residence at New Delhi on August 23 and met the Hooda family. There are also indications that she might meet Priyanka Gandhi in the coming days.

While it is to be seen if Vinesh ventures into politics, political parties’ love for sportspersons is not new. However, many times, parties didn’t succeed in their plans of fielding sportspersons but have definitely got the traction that they desire in the run up to the polls.

In October 2019 Assembly polls of Haryana, BJP first came up with former Indian hockey team captain Sandeep Singh as its nominee from Pehowa seat. The party relied on Singh to dent the pocket borough of Congress and INLD – the seat that BJP had never won in the past. Singh proved to be the correct choice as he managed to win the seat for the BJP.

In the same elections, BJP also fielded Olympian wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt from Baroda but he lost to Congress’ then Krishan Hooda. An year later in November 2020, the BJP fielded him again in Baroda bypoll necessitated by Krishan Hooda’s death in April that year, but Dutt again lost to a Congress’ first timer Induraj Narwal.

BJP had also fielded Olympian wrestler Babita Phogat who is also Vinesh’s cousin from Dadri seat. She too lost to Congress rebel Somvir Sangwan who contested as Independent. Somvir has recently resigned from membership of Haryana Vidhan Sabha and is likely to join the Congress.

“It is for her to decide the future course of action. I had been saying that the Centre can also take her to Rajya Sabha by way of nomination as has been done in the past. She does not belong to any political party. She is the daughter of the entire nation. As far as coming to Congress is concerned, whoever comes to our party gets full respect, honour and is welcomed,” Bhupinder Hooda said.

There are also talks of Olympian boxer Vijender Singh being fielded by the BJP in the Assembly polls. After unsuccessfully contesting Lok Sabha polls in 2019 from South Delhi on a Congress ticket, Vijender had joined BJP in April, this year.

Vijender met BJP Delhi president Vijendraa Sachdeva on Saturday in Delhi. Later, while talking to mediapersons, Vijender said, “Responsibilities are decided by the high command. I met him as I want Delhi to be a sports hub and convey the importance of sports to the people. Everyone does politics but I support those who talk about issues, sports and the people.”

Talking about Vinesh he said, “I congratulate her. I supported her in the past and I will continue to do so. She is a girl from our Bhiwani. I have seen her family since childhood and hence I will always stand by her.”

Meanwhile, Deepender Hooda on Sunday attended the felicitation ceremony of Olympic medalist Manu Bhaker at her grandparents village in Goria, Jhajjar. “Haryana sportspersons won five of six medals in Olympics, but Haryana got only Rs 65 crore in the sports budget of total Rs 2200 crore. Gujarat and UP got Rs 600 and 500 crore, respectively. When the Congress government comes to power in Haryana, the policy of Padak Lao, Pad Pao will be implemented again and sportspersons will be encouraged”, he said, adding that medals can come only when players are given respect, proper encouragement, infrastructure, security of their future and the talent discovery policy is implemented.