Madan Prajapat
Member of the
Rajasthan Legislative Assembly
In office
2018–2023
Preceded byAmra Ram Choudhary
Succeeded byArun Choudhary[1]
ConstituencyPachpadra
In office
2008–2013
Preceded byAmra Ram Choudhary
Succeeded byAmra Ram Choudhary
ConstituencyPachpadra
Personal details
Political partyIndian National Congress
Other political
affiliations

Madan Prajapat is an Indian politician from Rajasthan who has served in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly since 2018. He previously served in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from 2008 to 2013. Prajapat represents Pachpadra as a member of the Indian National Congress.

Political career

Prajapat began his political career as a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, serving as a district manager for the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the party's youth wing. He later joined the Bahujan Samaj Party and made his first run for the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, contesting the Pachpadra constituency in the Barmer district; however, Prajapat lost this election.[2] He then joined the Indian National Congress, and ran again in Pachpadra in the 2008 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election. Prajapat won the election, defeating incumbent Amra Ram Choudhary of the BJP, receiving 51,702 votes to Choudhary's 39,577.[3][4] Prajapat ran for re-election in the 2013 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, but was defeated by Amra Ram Choudhary of the BJP, receiving 54,230 votes to Choudhary's 77,476.[5] Prajapat ran again for the seat in the 2018 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, defeating Choudhary with 69,393 votes to 66,998.[6][7]

During his time in office, Prajapat has frequently bucked his party, which has been the ruling party of Rajasthan since 2018. In 2021, Prajapat sided with Rajendra Singh Rathore and Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, both high-ranking members of the BJP, in calling for an official investigation into the police killing of an alleged smuggler in Barmer district. Prajapat stated that he believed that the Barmer police were not being truthful about the incident, which Prajapat described as a "planned murder".[8] Prajapat stated that he would resign from the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly if an investigation was not conducted.[9]

Throughout his career, Prajapat campaigned strongly for the creation of a new district centered around the city of Balotra. Balotra is the largest subdivision of the Barmer district, and there has been a longtime campaign to separate it from Barmer, fueled in part by the creation of a new oil refinery in the area.[2][10] In February 2022, as a result of the state government's budget proposal, which did not include a provision to create a new district for Balotra, Prajapat vowed to walk barefoot until "the day Balotra is declared a district".[11] Later at a dinner hosted by Ashok Gehlot, the chief minister of Rajasthan and a member of the INC, Prajapat rebuffed an offer by Gehlot for a pair of shoes and left the dinner without eating.[12][13]

In 2016, Prajapat was arrested at a protest in Balotra against Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation (RIICO), in which Prajapat allegedly slapped a RIICO regional manager. As a result of Prajapat's arrest, the other protesters began clashing with security personnel.[14] In the 2021 trial, Prajapat and 27 other protesters were acquitted of their charges.[15]

References

  1. ^ "Pachpadra Assembly Election Results 2023 Highlights: BJP's Arun Choudhary with 77997 defeats INC's Madan Prajapat". India Today. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Rajasthan Budget Congress MLA Madan Prajapat angry with his own government for not making district of Balotra Shoes relinquish rjsr". IG News. 23 February 2022. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  3. ^ "Members of Legislative Assembly (2008)". sarkaritel.com. 28 December 2008. Archived from the original on 28 December 2008. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  4. ^ "Pachpadra Assembly constituency (Rajasthan)". News18 India. Archived from the original on 23 October 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  5. ^ Statistical Report on General Election, 2013 to the Legislative Assembly of Rajasthan (PDF). New Delhi: Election Commission of India. 2013. p. 160. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Rajasthan Election 2018: Jaisalmer, Sheo, Barmer, Baytoo, Pachpadra, Siwana, Gudha Malani, Chohtan Results Out". India.com. 12 December 2018. Archived from the original on 22 October 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  7. ^ Srinivasan, P (13 December 2018). "Rajasthan Assembly Election Results 2018: In 14 constituencies, more NOTA votes polled than victory margin". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 28 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  8. ^ "Cong MLA threatens resignation, demands CBI probe for Prajapat encounter case". Hindustan Times. 1 May 2021. Archived from the original on 20 June 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  9. ^ Parihar, Rohit (9 June 2021). "Why Rajasthan's CM Ashok Gehlot does not fear the CBI". India Today. Archived from the original on 11 September 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  10. ^ Tiwari, Rituraj (6 November 2018). "Pachpadra refinery a rallying point for BJP and Congress". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  11. ^ "Congress MLA gives up footwear after no mention of suggestion for separate district in Budget". The Indian Express. 24 February 2022. Archived from the original on 23 May 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  12. ^ Karanpuri (2 April 2022). "Congress MLA Madan Prajapat returned hungry from CM Gehlot's dinner party, know the whole matter". ABP News (in Hindi). Archived from the original on 11 April 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  13. ^ Srivastav, Aaryan (2 April 2022). "Congress MLA Madan Prajapat returned hungry from CM Gehlot's dinner party, roams barefoot since the demand is not met". AnyTV News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  14. ^ "Tension in Balotra after ex-Congress MLA's arrest". Hindustan Times. 16 June 2016. Archived from the original on 15 September 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
  15. ^ Mathrani, Mukesh (26 December 2021). "Assault case: MLA Madan Prajapat, 27 others acquitted". First India. Archived from the original on 31 July 2022. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
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