A dramatic turnaround has unfolded in the grassroots electoral landscape of Himachal Pradesh, where a recount conducted four months after the local polls completely overturned the declared result for a village head. In the Thakari Matti gram panchayat, located within the Salooni development block of Dalhousie assembly constituency in Chamba district, the candidate originally marked as defeated has now emerged victorious by a margin of 44 votes. The striking shift in numbers between two official tallies has brought procedural scrutiny to the fore regarding the accuracy of the initial counting process.
The Initial May Results and First Vote Count
Polling for the post of panchayat pradhan in Thakari Matti was conducted on May 26. Immediately following the voting, election officials undertook the first round of manual counting. In that initial assessment, candidate Santosh Kumari was credited with 597 votes, while her primary rival Bharti Thakur was recorded as securing 561 votes. Based on those figures, Bharti Thakur trailed by 36 votes, prompting officials to declare Santosh Kumari the elected pradhan while relegating Bharti Thakur to the runner-up position.
Legal Challenge and the Sub-Divisional Magistrate's Order
Unconvinced by the validity of the first tally, Bharti Thakur refused to accept the verdict as final. Believing that discrepancies had tainted the outcome, she exercised her legal rights by filing a formal election petition before the Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of Salooni within the prescribed statutory timeframe. Her petition formally sought a fresh examination and manual recounting of all cast ballots. Following judicial hearings on the matter, the SDM Salooni found sufficient merit in the plea and directed an official recount of the pradhan post ballots under strict administrative guidelines.
Three-Member Committee Oversees the Fresh Tally
To ensure total procedural integrity, the administration established a specialized three-member panel to supervise the recount. The panel comprised the Child Development Project Officer (CDPO), the Social Education and Planning Officer (SEPO), and a Junior Engineer (JE). Block Development Officer (BDO) Salooni Kanwar Singh confirmed that the entire process was executed under the direct instructions and presence of the SDM. In front of the appointed committee, every ballot paper was individually re-verified, segregated, and audited before cross-matching the respective totals for both contesting candidates.
Final Recount Margin Reverses the Outcome
The revised figures yielded a starkly different conclusion from the May tally. Upon completion of the recount, Bharti Thakur's verified tally rose to 601 votes, whereas Santosh Kumari's tally stood revised at 557 votes. The audit thus confirmed that Bharti Thakur had defeated Santosh Kumari by a clear margin of 44 votes. The scrutiny also revealed that five ballots were invalid and properly rejected, while four voters had chosen the None of the Above (NOTA) option. Following the certification of these verified numbers, authorities formally declared Bharti Thakur the duly elected pradhan of Thakari Matti gram panchayat.
Administrative Vindication and Next Steps
Reflecting on the resolution, Bharti Thakur stated that she had steadfastly disputed the May declaration because the initial count misrepresented the voters' mandate. By lodging her election petition within the mandatory period, she pursued the formal legal remedy that eventually vindicated her stance after four months. With the official certification in hand, Bharti Thakur is now set to formally assume office and take charge of administrative and developmental responsibilities as the pradhan of Thakari Matti panchayat.
