Karanpur in Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar district will go to polls on January 5 amid a controversy over the appointment of BJP candidate Surendra Pal Singh as a Minister of State during the Cabinet formation last week.
The 2023 Assembly election in Karanpur was postponed following the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Kooner on November 15.
The election campaign ended on Wednesday with the Opposition Congress launching a blistering attack on the new BJP government for its decision to appoint Mr. Singh as a Minister. The Congress has also submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission seeking Mr. Singh’s disqualification from contesting the polls on the ground of violation of election laws as well as the model code of conduct.
Addressing an election rally in Karanpur, Pradesh Congress president Govind Singh Dotasra said on Tuesday that no portfolios were being allocated to the newly appointed Ministers in the State because all of them had been given the sole task of “saving Surendra Pal Singh”. Mr. Dotasra said Mr. Singh’s appointment was in utter disregard of basic principles of elections, where a level playing field was key.
The Congress has fielded Kooner’s son Rupinder Singh as its candidate ostensibly to get the benefit of sympathy for the departed leader, who was the sitting MLA from Karanpur. In the 2018 Assembly election, three-time MLA Kooner had defeated his nearest rival, Independent candidate Prithipal Singh, by a margin of 28,376 votes, while Mr. Surendra Pal Singh was relegated to the third position.
12 candidates in fray
A total of 12 candidates are in the fray from Karanpur seat. Mr. Prithipal Singh is the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) candidate this time, posing a strong challenge to both Mr. Rupinder Singh and Mr. Surendra Pal Singh. The 67-year-old BJP candidate, who has been a Minister in the past as well, is considered a senior Sikh leader in the region.
Mr. Prithipal Singh’s entry as the AAP candidate seems to have made the contest triangular. AAP State president Naveen Paliwal and senior party leaders from neighbouring Punjab have been camping in the town and interacting with the voters in an attempt to convince them to elect the party’s nominee for the last remaining seat in the Assembly.
Mr. Paliwal said the Congress had faced defeat in the Assembly election because of its disconnect with the people. “Sending a revolutionary to the House will ensure that the people’s voice is raised effectively, on which the BJP government will be forced to act and accede to the demands,” he said.
Mr. Rupinder Singh, who filed his nomination papers on December 15, has referred to his father’s legacy and sought votes in the name of his family’s work for public welfare. “The people are feeling humiliated by the BJP’s move to appoint Mr. Surendra Pal Singh as a Minister. Why didn’t the ruling party wait for the election result?” he said at an election meeting in a village in the constituency.
The Congress candidate said the people were not going to vote for the BJP leader who had been accused of involvement in a mining scam during his previous tenure as Minister. The Opposition party also said the BJP had inducted him into the Council of Ministers for fear of its defeat in the election.
The BJP has brought several senior leaders for campaign in the constituency. BJP State president C.P. Joshi, Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Arjun Meghwal as well as State Minister Manju Baghmar have addressed rallies in the region and highlighted the issues allegedly ignored by the previous Congress regime.
All the BJP leaders have sought votes for the party candidate with an assurance that he would bring fast development to the region with the attention of the “double-engine government”. On the other hand, the Congress is reportedly waiting for the election outcome to appoint the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, who will also be the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly.
BJP’s defence
The BJP has sought to defend its decision, saying the oath taken by Mr. Surendra Pal Singh as a Minister of State was according to the provisions of the Constitution. Senior party leader and former Leader of Opposition Rajendra Rathore said any person could hold the Minister’s post for six months without being elected and it was not in violation of any model code of conduct.
Though the victory or defeat at the single seat is not going to make a major difference to the strength of parties, both the BJP and the Congress have seemingly made the Karanpur poll a prestige issue. The Congress especially, wants to infuse new energy into party workers for the upcoming Lok Sabha election by winning the seat.
