Congress leader Vinesh Phogat, who won the Haryana Assembly elections from Julana constituency, thanked voters for helping her achieve her maiden victory in polls. She called it a "battle of justice" and said the "fight was not yet over".
The Olympian wrestler turned politician had defeated BJP's Yogesh Kumar by a margin of 6,015 votes in Julana, making a noteworthy political debut. Initially, Phogat took an early lead, but later fell behind for sometime before regaining momentum in the electoral race.
Indian National Lok Dal candidate Surender Lather finished third, while Aam Aadmi Party’s Kavita Rani secured the fifth spot. The fourth spot was taken by JJP's Amarjeet Dhanda.
"Thank you, Julana and the people of Haryana!! I wholeheartedly thank all the residents of Julana and everyone from across the country who prayed for my victory for this immense love and blessings," she stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
"I express my deep gratitude to all the 36 communities of the Julana constituency who empowered me with their support and trust to win this battle for justice. This is not just my victory, but yours as well. I assure you that I will continue to work tirelessly for all of you and for the progress of Julana," she added.
Phogat was among the top wrestlers who protested against BJP MP and former Wrestling Federation chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh at Delhi's Jantar Mantar. He was accused of sexual harassment by seven women wrestlers. Phogat was also detained by security personnel during the protest march towards the Parliament building in May last year.
The wrestler, who was disqualified from Paris Olympics earlier this year, further stated that the people of Haryana "need to continue our struggle" and tha the "fight is not over yet".
"However, this fight is not over yet. We need to continue our struggle with even greater strength until ordinary people like us begin to receive justice. I appeal to every citizen of Haryana to stay united on this challenging path and continue raising their voices for their rights and justice," she wrote, adding that her win was "just the beginning".
"We must keep our strength and resolve so that every common person can get their rights and justice," the Congress leader said.
Phogat had joined the Congress in September, weeks after announcing her retirement from wrestling following the heartbreak in Olympics. Olympian Bajrang Punia had also joined the party along with her.