Jaipur: Gurmeet Singh Kunnar (75), MLA and Congress candidate from Karanpur assembly constituency in Sriganganagar district, passed away during treatment at Delhi AIIMS.
Kunnar was first admitted to SMS Hospital in Jaipur and then was referred to AIIMS in Delhi after a brain haemorrhage this week.
Due to the death of Gurmeet Kunnar, the polling on the Karanpur seat will be postponed. The official sources in the election department of Rajasthan said that they are waiting for the death certificate to cancel the election process on the seat as the deceased candidate was of a recognised national party.
Kunnar requested Congress to give ticket to his son
Due to his old age, Gurmeet Singh Kunnar was not keen to contest the election and had asked the party to give the ticket to his son Rupendra Singh Kunnar. In September, during feedback meetings in the Congress, Kunnar met senior leaders and demanded to give the ticket to his son.
Interestingly this is for the third time in a row that voting will not take place on all 200 seats.
Past candidates who had untimely death just before polls
BSP candidate JP Meghwal from Churu had died before the voting of the 2013 assembly elections, hence voting was held after the formation of the new government. Rajendra Rathod won that election.
Similarly, in 2018, the elections were postponed due to the death of BSP candidate Laxman Singh from Ramgarh, Alwar. After the formation of the Gehlot government, elections were held on the Ramgarh seat which Congress candidate Safia Zubair won.
