Poll loss forces Rajasthan minister to quit

Rajasthan minister of state Surendra Pal Singh lost the election to the Karanpur assembly seat by a margin of 11,283 votes to his Congress rival on Monday, an embarrassing defeat for the BJP days after it formed government in the state.

The BJP nominee was inducted into the Bhajanlal Sharma ministry on December 30, ahead of the polling on January 5. The minister of state (Independent charge) was later allocated Agriculture Marketing Board, Indira Gandhi Canal Department and Minority Affairs Department.

Under the rules, he had to get elected as an MLA within six months of his appointment as a minister.

According to the chief electoral office, Congress candidate Rupinder Singh Koonar bagged 94,950 votes as against Singh’s 83,667. There were 18 rounds of counting.

Following his defeat, Singh resigned from his post.

Chief Minister Sharma forwarded the resignation letter of Minister of State (Independent charge) Surendra Pal Singh and it has been accepted by the Governor with immediate effect, a Raj Bhavan spokesperson said.

This is the second time Singh has faced defeat in Karanpur constituency. He was defeated by Koonar’s father Gurmeet Singh in the 2018 Rajasthan assembly elections.

The election for the Karanpur assembly seat was postponed in the last year election due to the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh. The Congress then fielded his son from the seat.

“I am thankful to the people of Karanpur who voted for me… even central ministers had come for campaigning (but) people rejected them and made democracy win,” Koonar told reporters after his win.

Congress leaders congratulated Koonar even before the final results came in.

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said the people of Karanpur have defeated the pride of the BJP.

“Hearty congratulations and best wishes to Congress candidate Shri Rupinder Singh Koonar for his victory in Srikaranpur. This victory is dedicated to the public service works done by the late Gurmeet Singh Koonar,” he said.

In a post on X, Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra said, “The public has taught a lesson to the BJP, which flouted the code of conduct and morality by making its candidate a minister during the elections.”