Phogat win dampened by Cong defeat, villagers dejected

Despite wrestler-turned-politician Vinesh Phogat’s win in the Haryana Assembly elections, residents of Bakhta Khera, her in-laws’ village, are disheartened by the Congress’s inability to form the state government. The villagers fear that the development projects promised during the campaign may now be difficult to realise under a BJP-led government.

Many villagers had high hopes for improvement in infrastructure and welfare schemes but now believe that Phogat will face challenges in securing grants. Her earlier criticism of the BJP and allegations against former WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, whom she accused of neglecting wrestlers, may further complicate this task.

“The Congress’ under-performance in the elections has dampened the joy of Vinesh’s victory. We doubt she’ll be able to fulfil her promises, like developing sports infrastructure or introducing welfare schemes for women,” said Ram Dutt, an ex-serviceman from the village.

A group of elderly villagers gathered under a tree discussed the post-election scenario when approached by The Tribune. They shared concerns about lingering issues such as contaminated drinking water, overcrowded government schools, the lack of a local stadium, and poor public transportation.

“Vinesh had a chance of becoming a minister if Congress had come to power, but now the chances of resolving these issues seem thin,” added Mahavir, another villager.

Pritam, another local resident, noted that Vinesh had promised to build a fully equipped stadium in the village to allow young athletes to train locally. “Now it seems like that dream will be difficult to realise,” he said.

Rajpal, Vinesh’s father-in-law, said the family had prepared plans for sports training and other community development projects. However, he acknowledged that as a member of the opposition, Vinesh’s influence might be limited. “We will do our best to meet the people’s expectations, but without Congress in power, it will be challenging.”

Rajpal also pointed to inexperience and poor election management as reasons for Vinesh’s narrower-than-expected victory margin. “Vinesh is currently in Delhi for a party meeting, and we will hold a gathering of our workers and supporters tomorrow to analyse the election results,” he added.