Rajasthan minister loses to Congress candidate in Karanpur assembly election

Jaipur: Congress candidate Rupinder Singh Koonar on Monday won the Karanpur assembly election, defeating BJP minister Surendra Pal Singh by 11,283 votes. According to the chief electoral office, Koonar bagged 94,950 votes while Singh got 83,667. There were 18 rounds of counting.

"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, whose late father Gurmeet Singh earlier held the seat, told reporters after winning the election.

Voting for the seat was held on January 5.


Singh was inducted into the Rajasthan ministry after the BJP won the assembly polls, bagging 115 of the 199 seats.

According to the rules, he has six months to get elected to the assembly after being inducted as a minister.

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