Will win each battle with people's blessings: Vinesh Phogat as she starts poll campaign from Julana
Chandigarh, Sep 8: Wrestler and Congress candidate Vinesh Phogat on Sunday said she expects to win each battle with the blessings of people as kicks off her campaign for the upcoming assembly election.
Phogat (30) has been fielded from the Julana assembly segment for the upcoming assembly poll.
Polling in Haryana will take place on October 5 while the counting of votes for the elections to the 90-member assembly will take place on October 8.
Phogat was accorded a warm welcome when she reached Julana as her supporters, including elderly people and women and members of various 'Khaps', greeted her with garlands and gave their blessings.
The Congress had on Friday released its first list of 32 candidates for the Haryana Assembly polls, naming her among the party candidates.
Olympians Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia, who were at the forefront of the wrestlers' protest against then WFI chief and former BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, entered the political arena on Friday by joining the Congress.
Standing atop a car, Phogat took the blessings of people who surrounded her four wheeler to get a glimpse of her. Amid beats of a 'dhol', her supporters chanted 'Vinesh Phogat zindabad.'
Replying to a question on former BJP MP and then Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Phogat said, "Brij Bhushan is not the country. My country stands by me. My loved ones stand by me and they matter to me."
Brij Bhushan on Saturday alleged that Phogat and Bajrang Punia were used by the Congress as "pawns" in a "conspiracy" to take control of the WFI and attack the BJP.
To a question, Phogat said, "My loved ones supported me. Like they ensured victory in wrestling (during her sports career), they will continue their blessings here (electoral contest) and with their blessings, we will win every battle."
Replying to another question, she said the pain of not getting an Olympic medal subsided that very day when the citizens of the country showered love on her after she landed at the airport.
"I have to reduce their (people) pain and it is my responsibility," she added.
"I am 30 years old and I have come through many challenges. When people are with you, one can overcome any challenge," Phogat said.
Replying to a question on contesting the elections, she said, "I am feeling happy and I will try to live up to their expectations."
While the wrestler hails from Balali in Charkhi Dadri district, her in-laws' home town is Julana. Bakhta Khera village in Julana is the native village of her husband Somvir Rathee.
Later addressing a gathering at Bhakta Khera village, Phogat said she will remain thankful to god if she is able to reduce people's problems.
"The land of Jind is historic. People here are very brave," she said as she sought support and blessing of people for the electoral battle and promised that she will stay in village and will always be amongst them.
"It does not matter whether I win or lose (electoral battle). We have a house here and I will stay here," she said.
She thanked the Congress party for giving her the ticket to contest.
Phogat also said party leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had supported them when they were holding a protest in Delhi.
"At that stage we felt that we were lacking courage and also felt that we should leave the country. We were feeling insulted. But Priyanka ji told me not to lose courage and asked us to answer through wrestling," she said.
"I admire Rahul Gandhi ji. I am seeing that he has been meeting people for the past two-three years and trying to understand their pain," she said.
She also thanked Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and said she assured him to perform any responsibility they entrust with her.
"Your respect will always be above everything," she told the gathering.
"The country has given me a lot and so has wrestling. Whatever I am today is because of this sport," she said.
She asked people to back their daughters in achieving their dreams.
Phogat became the first Indian woman wrestler to reach the Olympics final, the stage where she was disqualified in Paris after being found overweight by about 100 grams in her 50-kilogramme category weigh-in.
She subsequently announced her retirement from the sport.
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TVK falls short within touching distance; what next to ensure majority
Chennai (PIT): With TVK falling 10 short of a majority, its leader Vijay has the option of forming a minority government in Tamil Nadu without any outside support, analysts said on Tuesday.
Senior political analyst Sumanth Raman told PTI that the TVK is likely to opt to be a minority government with outside support.
"Since it is the single largest party, TVK has the option to go for that. I don't think he (Vijay) will opt for official support from other political party's MLAs", he said.
"If he opts for minority government, the only thing is that, Vijay will have to prove the support once again after six months".
Raman also pointed out that in 2006 when DMK won only 92 seats, the then party president, the late M Karunanidhi formed a minority government with outside support.
In a completely unexpected turn of events in the Tamil Nadu Assembly elections, the TVK has emerged victorious, putting an end to the almost six decade-long dominance of the two major Dravidian parties--DMK and AIADMK.
By clinching victory in its debut electoral contest, the party has elevated its status to that of a recognised political entity. However, the Vijay-led TVK did not secure a mandate large enough to form a government with an absolute majority on its own, requiring another 10 to cross the finish line. Experts have varied opinions.
Specifically, to attain a simple majority, a political party must win at least 118 out of the total 234 constituencies. The TVK, however, secured victory in 108 constituencies. Given that the TVK fell short of the majority mark, what might unfold next?
TVK leader Vijay has won in both constituencies he contested--Perambur in Chennai and Tiruchirappalli East. As per the election commission rule, he will have to resign from one of these seats. TVK sources said that the leader is likely to surrender the Tiruchirappalli assembly seat.
If Vijay does so, the party's total tally of seats will decrease by one. Then it will be 107. Adding to the number games, TVK appointed Speaker of the Assembly will be ineligible to cast a vote during a confidence motion and the party's effective voting strength will be reduced by yet another seat, which comes to 106.
Accordingly, the TVK requires the support of an additional 12 members to demonstrate its majority. As of now, within the DMK alliance, the Congress party has secured five seats, the two Communist parties have won two seats each (totaling four), while the DMDK has secured one seat, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has won two seats and the VCK has secured two seats.
Within the AIADMK alliance, the PMK has grabbed four seats, the BJP has won one seat, and the AMMK has secured one seat. Going by the calculations, if TVK gets the support of other parties within both alliances, it would gain an additional 21 seats.
TVK could potentially secure a total of 129 seats (108 + 21). However, the TVK does not require the support of all those parties, and the backing of just 12 members would suffice.
As Vijay is expected to visit Lok Bhavan on Wednesday (May 6) to meet the governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar to stake claim to form government, the governor is expected to offer the TVK two options.
First, he may summon the TVK chief and instruct him to demonstrate his majority on the floor of the legislative assembly. Alternatively, he might ask Vijay to gather letters of support from "allied" parties and submit them to him.
If the TVK secures support exceeding 118 seats, the governor would invite the party form the government. If TVK fails to garner support from other political parties, it will be denied the opportunity to form the government.
In such a scenario, the governor has the option to invite the DMK, the party holding the second-highest number of seats to form the government.
If DMK too is unable to form a government, the state of Tamil Nadu will come under governor's rule for the subsequent six months. Following this period, fresh legislative Assembly elections will be once again held across all 234 constituencies.
Another political analyst Durai Karuna ruled out that TVK will go for a minority government.
"If he (Vijay) gives an appeal, many political parties including Congress, VCK and left parties will join TVK", he claimed. "In addition, the AIADMK, which has decided to organise MLAs meeting on Wednesday, might also announce that it would support TVK unconditionally".
He said a clear picture on Vijay's decision will emerge in a couple of days.
Tharasu Shyam, political critic, claimed that Congress was "holding talks with Vijay."
"From now on, the DMK must change its approach and this applies equally to the AIADMK," he said in an apparent reference to some reported difference of opinion between allies DMK and Congress over seat-sharing and power-sharing ahead of the April 23 polls.
Incidentally, AICC in-charge for Tamil Nadu, Girish Chodankar, on Tuesday admitted that the Congress party leadership's decision to stick with the DMK alliance went against strong grassroots sentiment favouring the TVK.
"The local leaders, the grassroots level leaders, were suggesting if Rahul Gandhi, who has a large acceptance in Tamil Nadu, joins the campaign with Vijay, it will create a big impact and we can sweep the Tamil Nadu polls, and get somewhere around 180-190 seats," Chodankar told PTI Videos.
