- Khatu Shyamji municipal election marked by family drama.
- Abduction claim and election postponement created suspense.
- High Court intervention led to Congress's final victory.
A municipal election in Rajasthan's Khatu Shyamji witnessed everything from family drama to Congress-BJP rivalry to a legal battle. The municipal chairperson election, with several drama-driven twists and turns, ended with Congress' victory. The total number of votes in the Khatu Shyam Municipality was 20. The Congress and BJP had eight councillors each. There were independents and one councillor from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party (RLP). The magic number was 11. So, parties started working to achieve it.
Family Drama: Devrani-Jethani Battle
Congress fielded Vinita Punia, while the Bharatiya Janata Party nominated BJP candidate Prem Devi. A Congress councillor, Lakshmi Devi's absence on the voting day turned out to be a key moment in the election. Interestingly, Lakshmi and BJP candidate Prem are devrani and jethani (Sisters-in-law). BJP's strategy for possible cross-voting due to family link did not work.
Abduction Claim By Lakshmi's Husband On Voting Day
On September 21, Lakshmi from Ward No. 10 did not appear to cast her vote, and her husband, Harlal, claimed that she was kidnapped, NDTV reported. The shocking news gave a fresh twist to the poll. Harlal filed a police complaint alleging that she was abducted. Subsequently, the BJP demanded postponement of the election. The Khatu Shyamji Municipal Board president election was deferred after Congress councillor Lakshmi remained absent. The ballot box was sealed and secured amid tight police arrangements.
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Electoral Registration Officer, Kapil Upadhyay, said, "In the general municipal body elections 2026, the voting process for the election of the President of the Khatu Shyamji Municipality was ongoing. In this regard, following the directives of the State Election Commission, the election process for the posts of President and Vice President of the Khatu Shyamji Municipality has been stayed until further orders." The State Election Commission postponed the chairperson's election to September 25.
Lakshmi, reportedly, had gone to her maternal home before the day of voting. However, when she appeared to cast her vote, the voting was postponed to September 25.
Poll Battle Reaches Court
Congress moved to the Rajasthan High Court, challenging the State Election Commission's postponement order. Congress' lawyer Bahadur Singh, pointed out in the High Court that 100% voter turnout was not mandatory for the voting. Singh urged the court to declare the results based on the votes cast by the councillor present in the House. Convinced by the Congress' lawyer, the court ordered to publish the results. When the votes were counted, Congress candidate Vinita got 10 votes against BJP nominee Prem's 9.