The Haryana Assembly elections in 2024 saw three prominent sports personalities contesting for seats, with wrestler Vinesh Phogat emerging victorious. Meanwhile, two other former athletes, Kavita Rani and Deepak Hooda, faced defeats in their respective constituencies.
Competing as a candidate for Congress, Vinesh Phogat secured a remarkable win, while Deepak Hooda, the former captain of the kabaddi team, lost in the Meham constituency as the BJP candidate.
In the match-up for the Julana seat, Vinesh Phogat garnered 65,080 votes, defeating her closest rival, Yogesh Kumar, who received 59,065 votes. Vinesh’s victory margin was 6,015 votes. On the other hand, Kavita Rani (formerly known as Kavita Dalal), who contested under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) banner, only managed to secure 1,280 votes, resulting in the forfeiture of her deposit. Surender Lather from the Indian National Lok Dal came in third with 10,158 votes, also losing his deposit.
According to the election rules, a candidate must receive at least one-sixth of the total votes to retain their deposit. In the Julana constituency, a total of 138,871 votes were cast, meaning a candidate needed at least 23,145 votes to avoid forfeiting their deposit. This is why Kavita Rani’s deposit was seized.
Deepak Hooda’s loss was substantial as well. Contesting for the BJP in the Meham constituency, he was defeated by Congress candidate Balram Dangi, who received 56,865 votes. Dangi triumphed over his nearest competitor, Balraj Kundu, by a margin of 18,060 votes. The Haryana Jan Seva Party’s Balram garnered 38,805 votes, while independent candidate Radha Ahlawat received 29,211 votes. Deepak Hooda only managed to secure around 8,929 votes, marking a significant defeat.
Deepak Hooda is a well-known figure in Indian kabaddi, having captained the national team. He played a crucial role when India won the Kabaddi World Cup in 2016 and was part of the gold medal-winning teams at the South Asian Games in 2016 and 2019. He married Sweety Bura on July 7, 2022, further marking a notable year in his life.
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