Vikrant Shekhawat : Sep 07, 2024, 10:20 AM
Haryana Election 2024: Political parties have put in all their might amid preparations for the Haryana Assembly elections, and the Congress recently released its first list of 32 candidates. The list has come out after several rounds of meetings and deliberations. The party has reposed faith in its 28 sitting MLAs and fielded them again, and has also introduced a new face—wrestling champion Vinesh Phogat. Interestingly, Vinesh Phogat has got a ticket from Julana seat, which is an important strategic move for the Congress.Vinesh Phogat's entry into politicsVinesh Phogat, a prominent figure in Indian wrestling, recently joined the Congress. She met Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge before joining the party. Vinesh's political entry comes at a time when women wrestlers accused former Wrestling Association of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh of sexual harassment. Vinesh Phogat had also staged a sit-in in Delhi on this issue, which increased her identity and credibility.Julana seat: An important challenge for CongressCongress has been waiting for a long time to win the Julana seat, but the party is not getting success here. Congress won this seat in 2005, after which the situation has been continuously deteriorating. In the 2019 elections, Congress got only 12,440 votes here, and it came third. On this seat, the current Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) MLA Amarjeet Dhanda will face Vinesh Phogat. The real fight on the Julana seat is expected to be between the three major parties—JJP, BJP, and Congress.History and figures: Congress's position on Julana seatThe first election on the Julana assembly seat was held in 1967, and the Congress won that time. However, after this the party had to face continuous defeat. The Congress also won in 1972, 1982, 1987, 1991, and 1996, but has not won since 2000 and 2005. In the previous elections, the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) won in 2009 and 2014 and the Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) in 2019.2019 Election Statistics: Julana Seat ResultsIn the 2019 assembly elections, Julana seat had a total of 173,645 voters, out of which 126,375 voted. JJP secured 49.01% votes in this seat, BJP got 29.87% and Congress got only 9.84% votes. JJP candidate Amarjeet Dhanda won the seat, while BJP and Congress finished second and third respectively.Strategic move of CongressCongress has played a big bet this time by giving ticket to Vinesh Phogat on Julana seat. The party is trying to win this seat by capitalizing on Vinesh's identity and popularity. This move can be an important opportunity for the Congress, especially when it has been in search of victory on this seat for a long time. The party's goal this time is to rectify its old losses and move towards victory on the Julana seat.Thus, the strategy of Congress in the Haryana assembly elections and the entry of Vinesh Phogat can play an important role on this seat. It will be interesting to see whether the Congress will be able to change its fortunes on the Julana seat this time.