Gurmeet Singh Koonar, the Congress candidate contesting from Rajasthan's Karanpur assembly constituency, has passed away in Delhi.
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Gurmeet Singh Koonar, the Congress candidate contesting from Rajasthan's Karanpur assembly constituency, has passed away in Delhi. According to a report in PTI, Koonar was under treatment at AIIMS-Delhi, party officials told the news agency on Wednesday. Koonar, aged 75, and the incumbent MLA from Karanpur constituency, was admitted to the Geriatric medicine ward at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi on November 12, the report added.
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Reportedly, the death certificate issued by the hospital, stated that Koonar succumbed to sepsis accompanied by septic shock and renal disease. He had also been battling hypertension.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot expressing his condolences said, "I am deeply saddened by the news of Karanpur MLA and former minister Gurmeet Singh Koonar's demise."
Gehlot acknowledged Koonar's relentless efforts towards development despite prolonged illness and said that his death has caused irreplaceable loss to the Congress party and Rajasthan's political landscape.
"Despite being unwell for a long time, Shri Kunnar was always striving for development work in his area. Kunnar Saheb's demise is an irreparable loss for the Congress Party and the politics of Rajasthan. I pray to God to give peace to the departed soul and courage to the family," he further wrote.
करणपुर से विधायक एवं पूर्व मंत्री श्री गुरमीत सिंह कुन्नर के निधन की सूचना से मुझे बेहद दुख हुआ है। श्री कुन्नर लंबे समय तक अस्वस्थ होते हुए भी अपने क्षेत्र में विकास कार्यों के लिए हमेशा प्रयासरत रहते थे। कुन्नर साहब का निधन कांग्रेस पार्टी एवं राजस्थान की राजनीति के लिए अपूरणीय…
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) November 15, 2023
A three-time MLA, Koonar was a prominent Congress figure in Karanpur. He secured victory in the 1998 assembly election on a Congress ticket and later, in 2008, as an Independent candidate. Subsequently, in 2018, the Congress nominated him again for the Karanpur constituency, where he emerged victorious.
Rajasthan Assembly Polls
Rajasthan will go to polls on November 25 and the counting will take place on December 5 along with four other state assembly elections. In the 2018 elections, the Congress won 99 seats, while BJP won 73 seats in the 200-member house. Gehlot came to power in Rajasthan with the support of BSP MLAs and independent candidates.
The Election Commission of India had previously announced that polls would be held on November 23 in Rajasthan, however, changed it after representations from various political parties and social organisations.