Posters declaring Congress MLA from Julana and Olympian Vinesh Phogat as “missing” have gone viral on social media, sparking widespread discussion.
The posters humorously read: “Search for the missing MLA. The entire assembly session has passed, but MLA Madam was absent throughout. If anyone has seen her, please contact the people of Julana.”
These satirical posters have been widely shared online, poking fun at her absence during the recent Haryana Assembly session.
Vinesh Phogat, who transitioned from wrestling to politics, contested the Julana assembly seat on a Congress ticket and emerged victorious, defeating BJP candidate Yogesh Bairagi. She received 65,080 votes, while Bairagi garnered 59,065 votes. The INLD-BSP candidate, Dr. Surender Lather, secured 10,158 votes.
Phogat, who was elected for the first time as an MLA, did not attend the four-day Haryana Assembly session that concluded on November 19. She had been campaigning for Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi in Wayanad, followed by election duties in Maharashtra.
Phogat’s PA, Sonu, clarified that she had been appointed as a star campaigner by the Congress Party, and she was assigned to campaign in Maharashtra and Jharkhand. Due to her busy campaigning schedule, she was unable to attend the assembly session. Despite this, the issues of the Julana constituency will continue to be raised prominently.
Earlier, the Olympian wrestler-turned-politician, Vinesh Phogat, on Monday questioned the relevance of the BJP slogan "Ek Hai Toh Safe Hai" (If we are united, we are safe), in the context of ongoing concerns about women's safety across the country.
Phogat raised this point during a press conference at Congress Bhavan in Pune on the final day of the assembly election campaign. She also extensively campaigned for Priyanka Gandhi for the Lok Sabha bypolls of Wayanad in Kerala.
--IANS