Rajasthan HC allows BTP doctor to contest state Assembly elections 2023

Deepak Ghoghra will be competing against Bansilal Katara of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress sitting MLA Ganesh Ghoghra from Dungarpur constituency

The Rajasthan High Court has allowed a doctor working at a government hospital to contest the upcoming state Assembly elections on November 25. The Rajasthan HC, however, stated that the doctor must return to his duties at Dungarpur District Hospital, if he loses.

Deepak Ghoghra, 43, will be contesting the Rajasthan polls from the Dungarpur constituency. He is a part of the Bharatiya Tribal Party (BTP), to which his father, Velaram Ghoghra is the state president. The BTP is based in Gujarat and had won two seats in the 2018 Rajasthan state Assembly elections in Chhotubhai Vasava from Jhagadiya Assembly constituency and his son Mahesh Vasava from Dediapada Assembly constituency. For the upcoming 2023 election, BTP had fielded 17 candidates, which included two doctors.

Justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati of the Jodhpur bench of the high court allowed the petitioner to be relieved of his post as a medical officer in order to participate in the Assembly polls. The order also added, "the respondent may kindly be further directed that if the petitioner loses in election, the petitioner would be permitted to join back on the post of medical officer as accordingly."

Speaking to PTI, Ghoghra stated that this was the first such case in Rajasthan where the high court allowed a government doctor to be relieved of his duties to contest elections and also be allowed to return in case of defeat.

"It is important that educated people come forward and join politics to serve people. My decision to contest the election has been received well by the people and I am fully confident that because of my one-to-one connection with the people, I will be winning this seat," he said.

Ghoghra also stated that as he has been in Dungarpur for a decade, he is confident he has the support of the local people.

Goghra will be competing against Bansilal Katara of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress sitting MLA Ganesh Ghoghra.

"It is a landmark ruling and opens the door to more doctors following suit," Ghoghra added.

Rajasthan state Assembly elections will be held on November 25 and the counting of votes will take place on December 3.