Voting for the Karanpur Assembly seat in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district commenced at 7 am today. This election was postponed following the unfortunate demise of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Koonar. A total of twelve candidates, including newly appointed cabinet minister Surendra Pal Singh TT, are competing for the seat.
District Collector Anshdeep confirmed, "Polling in Karanpur started at 7 am and will continue until 6 pm." He further stated that the election results would be announced on January 8.
Following Gurmeet Singh Koonar's passing, the Congress has nominated his son, Rupinder Singh, as their candidate for the seat. Surendra Pal Singh TT has previously served as a state minister. He was recently included in Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma's cabinet as a minister of state (independent charge) on December 30, a decision that faced opposition from the Congress.
The Congress expressed dissent over Surendra Pal Singh TT's inclusion in the cabinet, citing it as a "violation of the Model Code of Conduct." According to regulations, non-legislators can assume ministerial roles only if they are elected within six months.
Former Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Gehlot condemned Surendra Pal Singh TT's swearing-in, labeling it as a clear breach of the Model Code of Conduct and an attempt to sway voters in the constituency.
The constituency has a total of 249 polling stations and approximately 2.4 lakh voters, comprising 1,25,850 men, 1,14,966 women, 10 transgender individuals, and 180 service voters.
Elections for 199 out of the 200 Assembly seats in Rajasthan were conducted on November 25 last year. Upon the declaration of results on December 8, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged victorious, securing 115 seats, surpassing the Congress, which secured only 69 seats.