Karanpur Assembly Poll: Who Is Rupinder Singh Kooner?

Congress candidate Rupinder Singh Kooner on Monday defeated the BJP's Surenderpal Singh by over 12,000 votes in the Karanpur assembly seat in Rajasthan's Sriganganagar district.

With this win, the Congress' tally in the Rajasthan Assembly went up to 70 from 69 while the BJP now has 115 Assembly seats.

Who is Rupinder Singh?

43-year-old Kooner has his roots in Sri Ganganagar. He completed his Higher Secondary Education from Ajmer in 1968. Following in the footsteps of his father, he joined the Indian National Congress and emerged victorious in his maiden election.

Kooner is the owner of total assets worth Rs 22,56,13,344 crore. He neither has criminal records nor liabilities.

After this win, the Congress filed a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging the BJP manipulated voters by appointing Singh as a Minister of State (Independent Charge) overseeing four portfolios, including Indira Gandhi Nahar and the Department of Minority Affairs and Waqf, even before he officially became an MLA.

Last year, elections in the Karanpur Assembly constituency were postponed because of the death of Congress candidate Gurmeet Singh Kunnar, father of Rupinder Singh Kooner. In hopes of garnering sympathy votes, the Congress fielded Kooner for the by-election.