 "Days after taking oath, Rajasthan minister loses bypoll to Cong candidate")
Barely a month after securing a majority in Rajasthan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday suffered a jolt in the Karanpur Assembly bypoll with its newly appointed minister, Surendra Pal Singh, losing to the Congress candidate.
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal inducted Singh into his ministry on December 30, days before the January 5 polling. The Karanpur constituency is in the Sri Ganganagar district, which neighbours Punjab, and the issue of ensuring water for irrigation was a key plank.
Singh, initially appointed a minister of state (independent charge), was later allocated agriculture marketing board, Indira Gandhi canal department, and minority affairs portfolios. He lost to Congress’ Rupinder Singh Koonar by 11,283 votes.
Under the rules, Singh should get elected as an MLA within six months of his appointment as a minister. It remains to be seen if he quits or continues as a minister. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh said the voters taught the BJP a lesson for making a mockery of the model code of conduct by appointing its candidate a minister during the elections.
The Election Commission postponed the Karanpur election because of the death of the Congress candidate, sitting Congress legislator Gurmeet Singh Koonar, on November 19, days ahead of the November 25 polling for the Rajasthan Assembly. For the bypoll, the Congress fielded his son.
Singh represented the seat in 2003 and 2013. The Congress now has 70 members to the BJP’s 115 in the 200-member Assembly.
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