Discus thrower Krishna Poonia, the 2010 CWG gold medallist, has successfully begun her new innings in politics.
Contesting on a Congress ticket, Poonia, on Tuesday, won the Sadulpur assembly seat in Rajasthan, defeating sitting BSP MLA Manoj Nyangali.
Krishna Poonia. Photograph: FilesPoonia won by a healthy margin of 18084 votes after receiving 70020 votes.
It was Poonia's second attempt to get entry in the state legislature, having suffered defeat in the previous elections.
The Congress won 101 seats in the house of 199 while the BJP won 73.
The 36-year-old athlete had hurled the disc to 61.51m to claim a gold medal at the Delhi Commonwealth Games. She had finished sixth at the 2012 London Olympics with her best throw of 63.62m, coming in the fifth attempt.
