Election for Khatushyamji Chairperson Rescheduled Following Congress Councillors Return

Khatushyamji, September 23 (Daily Kiran) : The Rajasthan State Election Commission has rescheduled the election for the Khatushyamji municipal council chairperson. This decision comes after the police located missing Congress councillor Lakshmi Devi, resolving the uncertainty that led to the postponement of the election.

Voting for the chairperson will now take place on September 25, while the election for the vice-chairperson is set for September 26.

According to an order issued by State Election Commission Secretary Rajesh Verma on September 22, the previously delayed election process will be completed, and results will be announced on the same day as the chairperson voting. The vice-chairperson election will follow the next day.

Originally slated for September 21, the chairperson election was postponed due to Lakshmi Devi’s absence from the polling station. Her husband, Har Lal, had filed a police report claiming she was kidnapped.

In response to the complaint, police launched an extensive search operation. Deputy Superintendent of Police Rajesh Kumar Jangid stated that multiple teams were formed under the supervision of SP Praveen Nayak Lunawat, utilizing technical and field intelligence to locate the councillor.

After a search lasting over 13 hours, the councillor was found on Tuesday morning. She was taken to the police station, presented in court, and later reunited with her husband.

The absence of the councillor had halted the election process. On September 21, District Election Officer Kapil Upadhyay extended the voting time several times to ensure her participation. However, when she failed to arrive, election officials began sealing the ballot box, which already contained 19 votes cast prior to her disappearance.

The sealing of the ballot box was conducted in the presence of candidates—BJP’s Prem Devi Rulania and Congress’s Vinita Poonia—and was subsequently secured at the Khatushyamji police station under police protection on the morning of September 22.

With the councillor’s return and the new election schedule announced, all eyes are now on the voting and results set for September 25.