Deeg-Kumher Assembly constituency

Deeg-Kumher is one of the 200 Legislative Assembly constituencies of Rajasthan state in India. It was established in 2008 after the delimitation of assembly constituencies. Dr. Digamber Singh was the inaugural Member of the Legislative Assembly from the constituency in 2008. Followed by Vishvendra Singh, King of the erstwhile Bharatpur State, for two terms in 2013 & 2018. Dr. Shailesh Singh, son of Dr. Digamber Singh, is the current Legislator from the constituency, serving since 3 December 2023. The constituency is part of the Deeg district.

History
Deeg-Kumher assembly constituency, although relatively new in Rajasthan, has been identified as one of the state’s most hot or contentious seats. The constituency, since its creation, has witnessed the clash between the Bharatpur Royal Family and the Singh Family. After Bharatiya Janata Party’s Dr. Shailesh Singh’s victory in the 2023 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election, both families have inflicted two defeats on the other.

The Deeg-Kumher Assembly Constituency was created by merging the Deeg and Kumher Assembly Constituencies in the 2008 delimitation. In the same delimitation, the Bharatpur Lok Sabha constituency was reserved for the Scheduled Caste. Hence forcing, Vishvendra Singh, the King of the erstwhile Bharatpur state, to contest assembly election.

The Deeg assembly constituency was traditionally the stronghold of the Bharatpur Royal House. While, the Health & Industries Minister, Dr. Digamber Singh, was the sitting legislator from Kumher. The 2008 merger of the two constituencies led to the face-off between the former King of Bharatpur & the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader serving as a Cabinet Minister.

Both Minister Digamber Singh and Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha, Vishvendra Singh, sought the Bharatiya Janata Party ticket from the seat. After much deference, the party chose Minister Singh to contest, denying Vishvendra the chance to contest. In response, the Maharaj of Bharatpur, shifting loyalties, joined the Indian National Congress to contest from the seat.

Digamber defeated Vishvendra by a margin of 3200 votes in the 2008 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election. A rare defeat for the former king of Bharatpur in the Royal bastion.

Vishvendra beat Digamber in the 2013 election by a margin of 11,162 votes. This defeat was the revival of the Bharatpur Royal House in politics. The election was witness to high fuzz and emotionally manipulative appeals, including Vishvendra’s wife campaigning in a white saree, worn by Indian women in case of death in family, to gain sympathy votes for her husband. The defeat was at the peak of Dr. Digamber Singh’s career.

Despite his defeat in the 2013 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections and the 2014 by poll election from Surajgarh Assembly constituency, Digamber Singh, was made the Chairman of Twenty Point Program and given a Cabinet Minister rank in the government. While Vishvendra remained an opposition legislator.

On 27 October 2017, after almost a four year long battle with cancer, Dr. Digamber Singh died at the age of 66. Singh’s son Dr. Shailesh joined politics following the demise of his father. Shailesh contested against Vishvendra in the 2018 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly election. Vishvendra defeated Shailesh by a margin of 8000 votes, despite the sympathy wave for Shailesh’s father - the Late Dr. Digamber Singh. Vishvendra Singh served as Cabinet Minister for Tourism in the Government of Rajasthan, following this win.

In the 2023 Rajasthan Legislative Assembly elections, with positions interchanged, Digamber Singh’s family engaged in high drama to strengthen their hold. The result mended in their favour with Shailesh trouncing Vishvendra by a margin of 9,000 votes. The former King of Bharatpur had now faced defeat, both by Digamber and his son Shailesh.

Dr. Shailesh Singh, who goes by Dr. Shailesh Digamber Singh is the incumbent MLA from the constituency.