UnPhogattable day: Vinesh makes waves, as usual

New Delhi: If resolve had a face, Vinesh Phogat would certainly bear close resemblance to it, if not be it.

A veteran on the wrestling mat, an icon whose Olympics dream was shattered more than once by cruel twists of fate, a fierce voice that stood up to the establishment and now Congress’ newly-elected legislator in Haryana.

Phogat won her debut election from Julana with a margin of 6,015 votes.

It was a tough morning with the 30-year-old at several points trailing or neck-and-neck with her BJP rival Yogesh Kumar. But the dynamo from Charkhi Dadri won the day, no small feat and a victory she will savour for a long time.

For once, it seemed, enough was enough for the young woman. Enough to beat a four-way contest, to take back a seat the Congress had not won since 2005 and to become the first woman wrestler to win an election in the state.

The former grappler is living a life so engrossing it wouldn’t be a surprise if she soon becomes an inspiration for a mega-budget

Bollywood biopic.

A little over a month ago, she did what many had been expecting for months, embraced politics as a Congress candidate from Julana for the Haryana Assembly polls. The party was tipped to uproot the ruling BJP, which was facing 10 years of anti-incumbency.

That hasn’t happened of course with the BJP winning the polls.

None of it has been easy.

She endured the pain of losing her father as a nine-year-old, and found solace in wrestling, a sport that almost broke her physically and mentally before she finally gave up, conceding that she couldn’t fight it anymore. By withdrawing from the mat, she saved the fight for a different turf and this time, Phogat managed to turn the corner.