Otaram Devasi, India’s first minister in charge of cow welfare, lost the elections from Rajasthan’s Sirohi on Tuesday to Independent candidate Sanyam Lodha by 10,253 votes. He was among the 13 ministers in Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s cabinet to lose the elections.
Devasi belongs to the Rabari community, which is traditionally livestock-dependent and is addressed as “Bhopajj” or priest. According to his website, Dewasi used to be a policeman. He has served as the chairperson of the state animal husbandry welfare board.
Apart from Dewasi, the other well-known ministers to lose the elections are Agriculture Minister Prabhu Lal Saini, Revenue Minister Amra Ram, and Industries Minister Rajpal Singh, Food & Civil Supply Minister Baboo Lal Verma (Baran-Atru), Tourism Minister Krishnendra Kaur (Nadbai), Housing and Urban Development Minister Srichand Kriplani.
The Congress won 99 seats in the elections while the Bharatiya Janata Party won 73 seats. Polling was held for 199 of the 200 seats as election in Alwar’s Ramgarh seat was postponed following the death of Bahujan Samaj Party candidate Laxman Singh.
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