For this athlete, electoral triumph is same as winning gold

Having experienced many top of the podium finishes as a champion discus thrower, Congress candidate from Sadulpur Krishna Poonia feels that winning the Assembly election will be same as a gold medal triumph on the athletics field. Poonia, who became the first Indian woman track-and-field athlete to win an individual gold in the 2010 Commonwealth Games, has put behind the disappointment of loss in the last assembly polls in Rajasthan and says sports has always taught her to be a fighter with a ‘never say die’ attitude. 

In the last Assembly election, she finished third behind the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates on the Sadulpur seat. She is up against tough opponents once again - former BJP Member of Parliament Ram Singh Kaswan and the sitting BSP MLA Manoj Kumar Nyangali. However, the athlete, who hails from Haryana and is married to Virender Poonia belonging to this Rajasthan constituency, says she is confident that her 'sasural' (place of in-laws) will not disappoint her. 

In an interview to PTI, Poonia said she scripted history in sports and this time the people will back her and ensure the ‘number one spot’ for her in the polls as well. Asked if being a sportsperson has helped her in her political career, she said, “There are a lot of negative thoughts in politics, but I always stay positive. When I lost election last time, then I did not think that I am a celebrity and I should go back to Jaipur... In the last five years, I have put in a lot of hard work as I had done in sports,” he said. 

Poonia said she had been reaching out to each and every section of the society after her poll defeat which has made her stronger. Asked if her ‘never say die’ attitude comes from being a sportsperson, she said, “I can definitely say that. I'll give you an example, you would have seen that when athletes lose, they wake up the next morning and try harder for winning the next time.” 

Sports not only teaches fighting qualities but also is a way of life, said Poonia, who also has two Asian games bronze and a national record in discus throw to her credit. Poonia's public meetings show that her connect with the people has certainly grown as women in large numbers cheer for her when she states that woman power will triumph. At a rally in Gagarwas on Sunday, several village elders were seen blessing Poonia and the youngsters were heard chanting slogans like “Krishna aandhi hai, doosri Indira Gandhi hai (Krishna is like a storm, a second Indira Gandhi).” 

On whether winning here is at par with getting a gold medal in athletics, she says: “Definitely, because I had chosen a 'hard' constituency. When Ashok Gehlot and others sat down (in 2013) they had said that this seat was weak. But I had chosen this assembly seat because I come from here and circumstances here are such that there is a need to work for youngsters.” She said sometime her simpleton and straightforward approach of a sportsperson gives her trouble in the political arena, but she still refrains from making any false and unrealistic promises. 

 - Asim Kamal