Setback for BJP in Rajasthan as minister Surendra Pal gets defeated by Congress candidate Koonar

Jaipur: In a major embarrassment for the ruling Rajasthan BJP, newly-appointed minister and candidate Surendra Pal Singh TT lost to Congress’s Rupinder Singh Koonar by a margin of 12570 votes in the Karanpur bye poll held on Jan 5, the results of which came out today.

Despite Opposition Congress’s hue and cry and complaints to the Election Commission over making Surendra Pal a minister in the Bhajan Lal Sharma government, even before he won a seat and that too when the model code of conduct had set in, in the Karanpur Assembly constituency, a nonchalant BJP went ahead by retaining him as a state minister with Independent charge.

He has been given charge of a number of departments including agricultural marketing, agriculture irrigation and water department, Indira Gandhi Canal and also Minority issue and Waqf department.

Losing the Assembly seat is a major setback also for the first time MLA made Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma too. It is as if he has failed his first test, says poll analysts.

Sharma had campaigned for Surrendra Pal in Karanpur on Dec 27, promising the advantage of double engine sarkar plus a minister to the voters in the region.

The bye-election was necessitated following the death of the Congress candidate and also the sitting MLA Gurmeet Singh Kooner on Nov 15. As such the Karanpur election was postponed and could not be held with the rest of the state on Nov 25.

Congress fielded Gurmeet Singh’s son Rupinder Singh Kooner in the bye-election and was hoping for the sympathy vote for Rupinde. It now seemed to have worked in favour of the party. Although BJP played a masterstroke by making Surendra Pal a minister, which it thought would influence the voters in the region, the plan seems to have gone haywire for the ruling party.

Meanwhile the Congress are elated over the result with many of its leaders tweeting about it. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot says: “This election has given several messages...The arrogance of BJP and the manner in which they have abandoned morality...it is like a slap by the people to BJP...I had said earlier that we will register a grand victory...People have understood that we have not weakened even after the formation of government (of BJP in the state). This will benefit us even in Parliament elections.”

Sachin Pilot has tweeted that “Karanpur’s people have entrusted faith in the policies and ideology of Congress and ensured progress, security and a safe future for themselves”

Congress state chief Govind Singh Dotasra said that when constitutional bodies in the country forget their responsibilities, then one can look for justice in the court of people. Thanking the people of Karanpur, he said it is a slap on the face of undemocratic policies followed by the party and tyranny unleashed by it.

Congress leader and communications incharge, Jairam Ramesh also tweeted that BJP had made a mockery of election’s model code of conduct by making Surendra Pal a minister in the run-up to the bye-election and it portrayed the arrogance of the party.

Meanwhile, political analysts say Surendra Pal can continue as minister for six months, after which he needs to win a legislative seat. For BJP to remain steadfast on its principle, it will need to cajole or coerce some other MLA to vacate his or her seat to accommodate him. Or simply Surendra Pal can quit.