Jodhpur: Clashes, stone-pelting and allegations of bogus voting and ballot-paper theft disrupted the second phase of panchayat elections in Rajasthan's Jodhpur district on Friday, with police arresting 57 people and seizing 20 vehicles in connection with election-related disturbances across the district.
Polling was held for sarpanch and ward panch posts in 431 gram panchayats under 17 panchayat samitis in the district. Jodhpur recorded a voter turnout of 84.41 per cent by 6 pm, officials said. Statewide, voting for panch and sarpanch posts in 3,626 gram panchayats across 22 districts concluded with a turnout of 78.77 per cent recorded till 6 pm, the Press Trust of India reported.
150 ballot papers missing at Bhavi, repolling ordered
The most serious incident occurred at Bhavi gram panchayat in Bilara, where around 150 ballot papers allegedly went missing from booth No. 12 at about 1 pm. The incident triggered protests by hundreds of villagers, who staged a sit-in demanding an impartial probe and action against those responsible.
District Election Officer Alok Ranjan said the missing ballot papers were later recovered but had been marked. A report confirmed their theft and tampering, following which repolling was ordered at the booth and a police complaint was filed. According to the returning officer's report, an unidentified person took away the ballot papers while the polling staff was assisting a differently-abled voter. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation.
Stone-pelting was reported from Pal, Motiba Nagar and Khetasar in Osian, besides parts of Bhopalgarh and Borunda. Allegations of bogus voting also surfaced from Bhavi and Avamana; the allegations have not been independently established. Rural SP Pankaj Yadav said police arrested 57 people and seized 20 vehicles for their alleged involvement in election-related disturbances. PTI's statewide roundup put the number of people detained in Jodhpur at around 50, with more than 20 vehicles seized.
MLA Arjunlal Garg approached the district collector seeking an impartial investigation and repolling in Bhavi gram panchayat. Elsewhere in the state, PTI reported a commotion in Umrain in Alwar after a ballot box was found without a seal, police using batons to disperse a crowd in Kanwat gram panchayat in Sikar district, and sarpanch candidates clashing in Khanpura in Jhunjhunu district over allegations of bogus voting. A total of 21,839 candidates contested the sarpanch posts across the state, while 45 sarpanches had already been elected unopposed.
Source: The Times of India (Jaipur)