Rajasthan probes power outage at BJP office during Vaishnaw's Jaipur visit
Synopsis
A power cut struck the Rajasthan BJP office three times during a media briefing attended by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw — with the state's own Energy Minister in the room. The Rajasthan government has now ordered a formal probe, tracing the fault to a transformer trip during routine maintenance at a 400 kV grid substation.
Key Takeaways
The Rajasthan government has ordered a probe into a power outage at the state BJP office, Jaipur on 11 June .
Electricity failed three times during a media event attended by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and State Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar .
Preliminary findings point to a current imbalance that tripped two 250 MVA transformers at the 400 kV Grid Substation during SF-6 gas leak maintenance.
Power was restored within 10 to 17 minutes ; both transformers were back online by 4:21 pm .
An inquiry committee has been formed under Additional Chief Engineer Dashrath Singh to determine the cause and recommend preventive measures.
Minister Heeralal Nagar warned of strict action against officials found negligent.
The Rajasthan government has ordered a formal inquiry into a power outage that disrupted a media interaction at the state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Jaipur on 11 June, during an event attended by Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and State Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar. Electricity reportedly failed three times during the event, prompting the state government to take serious note and constitute a formal inquiry panel.
What Triggered the Outage
According to preliminary information provided by power utility officials, the disruption originated at around 3:57 pm on 11 June during maintenance work to address an SF-6 gas leak in the circuit breaker of the 220 kV Kota Thermal Power Station line at the 400 kV Grid Substation (GSS). While a line isolator was being opened, a current imbalance reportedly caused two 250 MVA transformers to trip simultaneously.
The transformer failure disrupted power supply to the 220 kV GSS NPH and 132 kV substations serving the areas of Chambal, Vaishali Nagar, Bhankrota, and the Public Works Department Bungalow localities. Officials stated that supply was restored within 10 to 17 minutes by rerouting load to alternate transformers, with both affected units back in normal operation by 4:21 pm.
Inquiry Committee Constituted
State Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar directed officials to conduct a detailed inquiry after seeking a comprehensive report from Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam and Jaipur Discom. A formal inquiry committee has been constituted under the chairmanship of Jaipur Additional Chief Engineer (MPT&S) Dashrath Singh, with the Superintending Engineer (Jaipur Rural) and the Assistant Engineer (Protection Engineering) as members.
The panel has been tasked with determining the exact cause of the failure and recommending preventive measures to avoid similar incidents in the future.
What the Minister Said
Minister Nagar made clear that negligence in essential public services such as electricity supply will not be tolerated, and that strict action will be taken against any government official or engineer found responsible for lapses. He reiterated the state government's commitment to uninterrupted and reliable power supply, adding that accountability will be fixed if negligence is established.
The Scene at the BJP Office
The outage drew attention because it struck during a high-profile media briefing. Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw continued addressing the press through at least one of the power failures, while attendees reportedly used mobile phone flashlights until electricity was restored. The optics of a power cut at a ruling-party office — in the presence of a senior Union minister and the state's own Energy Minister — added political weight to what was, at its core, a technical grid fault.
With the inquiry committee now in place, its findings are expected to determine whether the disruption was the result of procedural lapses during maintenance or a deeper infrastructure gap in Jaipur's grid network.
Point of View
Three times over, at a ruling-party office while the state's own Energy Minister sat in the room. Rajasthan's power infrastructure has faced recurring reliability questions, and the speed of the inquiry announcement suggests the government is acutely aware of the optics. The real test is whether the committee's findings lead to systemic fixes or remain a paper exercise in accountability.
NationPress
30 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why did the power go out at the Rajasthan BJP office in Jaipur?
According to preliminary findings from power utility officials, the outage was caused by a current imbalance that tripped two 250 MVA transformers at the 400 kV Grid Substation during maintenance work on an SF-6 gas leak in a circuit breaker. The disruption affected multiple substations serving parts of Jaipur.
Who was present during the power outage at the BJP office?
Union Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and State Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar were both present at the media interaction when electricity failed. Vaishnaw reportedly continued addressing the press during one outage while attendees used mobile phone flashlights.
What action has the Rajasthan government taken over the outage?
The state government has constituted a formal inquiry committee under Additional Chief Engineer (MPT&S) Dashrath Singh, with two other senior engineers as members. The panel is tasked with identifying the cause and recommending measures to prevent recurrence.
How long did the power outage last?
Officials stated that electricity supply was restored within 10 to 17 minutes by transferring load to alternate transformers. Both tripped transformers were returned to normal operation by 4:21 pm on 11 June.
What areas were affected by the Jaipur grid disruption?
The transformer trip disrupted power supply to the 220 kV GSS NPH and 132 kV substations serving Chambal, Vaishali Nagar, Bhankrota, and the Public Works Department Bungalow areas of Jaipur.
