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Rajasthan polls: Meet Teetar Singh, the man who lost over 30 elections but contesting again
Teetar Singh, who has fought 31 elections from Gram Panchayat to Lok Sabha since 1970s, has faced a defeat every single time.
Teetar Singh, a 78-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)daily wage labourer from Rajasthan's Ganganagar has filed his nomination to contest the legislative assembly election for the 32nd time.
Singh, who has fought 31 elections from Gram Panchayat to Lok Sabha since 1970s but faced defeat every single time, is again trying his luck from Sri Karanpur assembly constituency for the November 25 polls. Speaking to Hindustan Times, Singh expressed his anger against the past state governments and his priorities if he is elected to power.
Q. You're contesting elections since 1970s but was defeated every time? What inspires you to fight the election every single time?
I am contesting the election for the 32nd time. My four generations have passed but the state governments, both of BJP and Congress have done nothing for the poor or for the development of the village. The government should give land, facilities to the poor people.
Q. If you get elected this time, what would be your priorities?
If I get elected as an MLA, my focus would be on developing roads in the village, undertaking several developmental works in the village and would urge the government to allot land to the landless and poor labourers.
Lost deposit in every election
According to Live Hindustan report, Singh had said that he has studied till class 5 only. With the ailing old age, he has forgotten to read and write but can do his signature.
Singh had got 653 votes in the 2018 assembly polls, 427 in the 2013 assembly elections, and 938 votes in the 2008 Rajasthan assembly elections, the report added.
A resident of '25 F' village, the septuagenarian, who is a member of the Dalit community, has lost even his security deposit in every election he fought. He started contesting elections in 1970s when the Congress used to dominate the desert state politics till 1990.
Taking the power from the grand old party, the BJP had won the 1990 assembly election and formed the government under Bhairon Singh Shekhawat but the tenure was cut short following the demolition of Ayodhya's Babri Masjid in 1992.
In 1993, the BJP repeated its electoral performance in the desert state and formed the government. In 1998, the Congress came to power but could not repeat its success in the 2003 assembly elections, losing to the BJP.
In 2008, Congress emerged as the single largest party with 96 seats against the BJP's 78. The grand old party formed the government with the help of independents.
However, the Congress was routed in the 2013 elections with the BJP winning 163 seats, forming the government under Vasundhara Raje once again. In 2018, the Congress returned to power by winning 100 seats while the incumbent BJP won just 72. The state witnessed an intense power tussle between Ashok Gehlot and Sachin Pilot over various issues in the past five years.
Rajasthan is scheduled to go to assembly polls on November 25 and the counting of votes will take place on December 3.
