Chandigarh: In a first, two of the four acclaimed sportspersons, both women, fielded by different political parties in the recently held assembly election, have made it to the Haryana assembly.
While the star Olympian wrestler Vinesh Phogat, who won from Julana seat on Congress ticket, Arti Rao, an international skeet shooter, won from Ateli seat on BJP ticket. Arti, is daughter of Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh. It was their debut electoral battle for both of them.
Among her other rivals at Julana, Vinesh also faced Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Kavita Dalal, who was a famed former WWE wrestler. The fourth candidate who also failed to win his October 5 election was Deepak Hooda, former captain of national Kabaddi team, a BJP candidate from Meham seat.
However, it was not the first time, the sports persons tried their hands in the electoral fights as in the past also, several medal-winning sportspersons - who had done well on the world sports arena - had taken a political plunge, though there were only a few success stories.
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In the 2019 assembly elections too, 2008 Olympic bronze winning boxer Vijender Singh had unsuccessfully contested from South Delhi sesat on Congress ticket, while in the Haryana assembly election the same year, the 2014 Commonwealth Games gold medallist wrestler Babita Phogat lost her contest from Dadri seat as a BJP nominee.
Another famed wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt also fought the 2019 assembly election from Baroda seat and again in 2020 by-election from there on BJP ticket, but lost on both the occasions.
However, former national hockey captain Sandeep Singh had successfully fought the 2019 assembly election from Pehowa seat on BJP ticket and was made sports minister in the then Manohar Lal Khattar government. He, however, resigned from the sports portfolio after a case of sexual harassment was registered against him on a complaint by a woman coach. He was denied a party ticket this time.
Krishna Poonia, the Commonwealth Games gold medallist in discus-throw, who hailed from Haryana and had successfully fought an election on Congress ticket from Sadulpur seat in Rajasthan in 2018, had but lost to Olympic silver medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore in 2019 Lok Sabha election from Jaipur (rural) seat.
In 2009, former Indian cricketer Chetan Sharma had unsuccessfully contested from Faridabad on the BSP ticket.
