Rajasthan polls: Meet Teetar Singh, the man who lost 20 elections, but is trying again

Rajasthan’s Teetar Singh has contested every election since the 1970s. Despite never winning, he has once again filed his nomination to contest the upcoming legislative Assembly elections in the state. The 78-year-old MGNREGS employee, is anything but despondent as he prepares to run again in the 25 November Assembly elections. Singh is fighting as an independent candidate from the Karanpur Assembly constituency, and has already filed his nomination from this seat. Here’s what the septuagenarian has to say about fighting and losing 20 elections in 50 years, as well as what motivates him to run again. ‘Fight for rights’ “Why should I not fight,” Singh replied on being asked why he was contesting even after having lost about 20 elections so far. He told PTI that he does not contest the polls for popularity or records. “The government should give land, facilities… this election is a fight for rights,” he said. It is a weapon to achieve his rights, the edges of which have not dulled with age, Singh claimed. The septuagenarian said he has contested every election from panchayat to Lok Sabha polls but faced defeat every single time.

"तीतर सिंह, जो कि पेशे से मनरेगा मजदूर हैं, 70 वर्ष के आयु के व्यक्ति, फिर से मैदान में उतर रहे हैं, गंगानगर जिले के करनपुर विधानसभा से 24वीं बार चुनाव लड़ रहे हैं। तीतर सिंह के पास एक रुपये की भी संपत्ति नहीं है।#TeetarSingh #SriGanganagar #RajasthanElections2023… pic.twitter.com/eO8tf7fkkl

— Jhalko Rajasthan (@JhalkoRajasthan) November 7, 2023

He added that he is getting ready once again with the same passion and enthusiasm and has filed his nomination papers for the Assembly election later this month. Daily wage worker Singh, who is a member of the Dalit community, lives in ‘25 F’ village in Rajasthan. He has decided to contest elections for the first time in the 1970s when he felt people like him were deprived of land allotment in the canal command area. His demands are that the government should allot land to the landless and poor labourers, and with this, he started entering the poll fray every time an opportunity came about. Singh said he contested elections one after the other but his demand for allotment of land has still not been fulfilled and his sons also work as daily wage labourers. He told PTI that he has three daughters and two sons and that even his grandchildren have got married. Singh added that he has Rs 2,500 cash as deposit capital but no land, property or vehicles. On usual days, he works as a daily wage labourer under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) but as soon as elections come, he shifts focus to campaigning for himself. But the results have never been in his favour and he has lost deposits every single time. Singh received 653 votes in the 2018 Assembly elections, 427 votes in the 2013 Assembly elections, and 938 votes in the 2008 Rajasthan Assembly elections. With inputs from PTI