Rajasthan minister Kirodi Lal resigns after poor election performance
Rajasthan Cabinet Minister Kirodi Lal Meena resigned from his post on Wednesday following the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) poor performance in five constituencies under his watch in the Lok Sabha elections. Meena had pledged to step down if the BJP lost any of the seats. Confirming his resignation to a news channel, he stated that the underwhelming performance was also why he did not attend a recent Cabinet meeting. He felt he had "no moral right" to do so.
Meena's resignation yet to be accepted, denies dissatisfaction
Addressing rumors of dissatisfaction with the party or government, he clarified, "There is no reason for me to be angry...I had also met the CM and very respectfully, he told me that 'no, your resignation will not be accepted.'" "But I told the CM that since I had spoken amidst the people and announced that I will resign if we don't win this seat, I had to resign," he added.
Congress triumphs over BJP in Dausa Lok Sabha seat
Meena, who held the cabinet portfolio as agriculture, rural development, disaster management, and relief minister, had campaigned in eastern Rajasthan's Dausa, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Alwar, Tonk-Sawai Madhopur, and Kota-Bundi. At the time, he said, "If the party loses even one seat out of those 7, I will leave the post of minister." The BJP managed to win only Kota and Alwar Lok Sabha seats.
His name was considered for the position of CM
In the recent Lok Sabha elections in Rajasthan, the BJP won 14 of 25 seats, while the Congress won eight, including Dausa. Other parties secured three seats. Meena won from Sawai Madhopur in last year's state assembly elections, with the BJP winning 115 of the 200 seats and defeating the Congress, which won 66. Following the Assembly election results, his name was also considered for the position of chief minister. However, the party's high command chose Bhajan Lal Sharma.
