# Rajasthan Civic Polls: Only 19 Councillor Votes to Be Counted for Khatushyamji Municipal Chief Post After High Court Dismisses Laxmi Devi Petition

> The Rajasthan High Court has dismissed the petition regarding absent Congress councillor Laxmi Devi, paving the way for Khatushyamji municipal board chief results to be decided strictly using the 19 votes cast.

**Type:** article · **Category:** Rajasthan · **Published:** 2026-09-24 · **Source:** TrendKia
**Canonical:** https://trendkia.com/en/rajasthan/rajasthan-nikaya-chunava-khatushyamji-palika-adhyaksha-pada-ke-lie-aba-sirpha-19-parshadon-ke-vota-gine-jaenge-high-court-ne-laxmi-37845 · **Language:** English
**Tags:** Khatushyamji Municipality, Rajasthan Civic Polls, High Court, Vinita Poonia, Laxmi Devi, Councillor Election

The political stalemate surrounding the election for the post of municipal board president in Khatushyamji, Rajasthan, has reached a crucial turning point. In the ongoing legal battle over the vote of Congress councillor Laxmi Devi, who was absent during the polling process, the High Court has dismissed the petition. With this judicial order, it is now established that the vote of the absentee member will not be considered valid or included in the tally. The ultimate outcome for the chairperson post will be determined strictly on the basis of the 19 votes cast by the councillors who were physically present and participated in the polling.

## High Court Order Follows Petition by Vinita Poonia
The entire judicial controversy originated from a petition filed by candidate Vinita Poonia, who is contesting for the municipal president seat. Poonia moved the court questioning the election proceedings and raising serious objections regarding the handling of Laxmi Devi's vote and attendance. Following the hearing of the case, the High Court dismissed the petition, thereby facilitating the counting of the 19 votes that were recorded during the initial ballot exercise. While this development clears the procedural hurdle for the municipal election, future legal trajectories could still play a pivotal role in the final resolution of the dispute.

## Vote Count Restricted Strictly to 19 Participating Councillors
On the scheduled day of polling for the Khatushyamji municipal board head, Congress councillor Laxmi Devi was not present at the venue. Her absence triggered intense contention over electoral rules and ballot validity, prompting the matter to be escalated all the way to the High Court. With the dismissal of the petition, the legal directive confirms that only the votes of the 19 councillors who were present and exercised their voting rights on the ground will be counted. This explicitly leaves no scope for adding any uncast or absentee vote to the final tally determining the civic body chief.

## Election Outcome Expected to Be Announced Tomorrow
Following the clarification from the court, the final election result for the Khatushyamji municipal president is likely to be declared tomorrow. The entire electoral exercise had remained stalled due to the deadlock arising from a single member's inability to participate, leading to severe political friction between the rival camps. The High Court order provides a clear pathway for the Election Commission to proceed with the remaining formalities. The commission can now declare the official verdict based on the tally of the 19 cast ballots. Meanwhile, legal channels remain available for the opposing faction to challenge the ruling before a division bench of the court.

## The Critical Power Dynamics Behind a Single Municipal Vote
The race for the post of municipal president in Khatushyamji has been exceptionally competitive from the very beginning. The numerical strength of councillors belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress in the municipal board is separated by a razor-thin margin. In such a fragile equation, the presence or absence of even one voting member holds the power to completely alter the arithmetic of majority and sway the final outcome. Consequently, Laxmi Devi's non-arrival at the polling station rapidly snowballed beyond local political banter into an extensive judicial showdown. Conflicting claims and counterclaims over her participation were traded by both sides before the matter entered the courtroom.

## Focus Shifts to the Commission and Potential Appeals
With the High Court ruling on Vinita Poonia's petition, all eyes are now trained on the subsequent administrative moves of the Election Commission. The primary question is whether the commission will immediately proceed to finalize the results using the 19 cast ballots or if the opposite party will exercise the option of moving a double bench for interim relief. For now, it remains certain that the absentee Congress councillor will have no say in the outcome. The election in Khatushyamji has been a topic of widespread interest across the region, and tomorrow's expected outcome will definitively reveal which political party captures the top seat of the municipal board.

## What this means for you
The resolution of the legal ambiguity surrounding the Khatushyamji municipal election paves the way for immediate local governance and administrative stability.

- **Across Rajasthan:** The verdict brings clarity regarding voting guidelines and the status of absent members during municipal board elections. It provides a legal precedent for resolving similar election disputes in other civic bodies across the state.
- **In Khatushyamji:** The clearance of the presidential election enables the resumption of pending civic development projects and administrative decisions. Local residents can anticipate faster municipal approvals and uninterrupted routine municipal services.
- **For Political Parties:** The contest between the rival factions will now be settled strictly through the 19 participating votes. This tight margin will instantly define the municipal balance of power and local leadership control.
- **Regarding Legal Recourse:** The opposing party still retains the legal option to approach a division bench. If an appeal is preferred, judicial oversight may continue even after the official tally is declared.

## Why this happened
The dispute arose due to the physical absence of a councillor during the scheduled voting process and the subsequent clash over the validity of her vote in a closely contested house.

- **Absence of the Councillor:** Congress councillor Laxmi Devi was not present at the polling booth during the official election hours. Her non-appearance triggered conflicting claims regarding whether her vote could be considered in the process.
- **Razor-Thin Party Margins:** The numerical strength between the BJP and Congress in the municipal board was extremely narrow. Because of this tight balance, a single vote had the power to swing the presidency from one party to the other.
- **Judicial Challenge by Candidate:** Candidate Vinita Poonia filed a petition before the High Court challenging the election proceedings. The court subsequently dismissed the petition, thereby clearing the way for counting only the 19 valid votes cast during the poll.

## Questions & Answers

### 1. What did the High Court rule regarding the Khatushyamji municipal election?
The High Court dismissed the petition filed by Vinita Poonia and ruled that the vote of absent councillor Laxmi Devi will not be considered.

### 2. How many votes will be counted for the municipal president post?
Only the 19 votes cast by the councillors who were physically present during the voting will be counted.

### 3. Why was there a controversy regarding Laxmi Devi's vote?
Congress councillor Laxmi Devi was absent during the voting process, which triggered intense disagreements between rival parties over her vote's validity.

### 4. When is the election result for the Khatushyamji municipal head expected?
Following the court directive, the Election Commission is likely to announce the official election result tomorrow.

### 5. What legal remedy is available to the opposing party after this order?
The opposing party retains the option to challenge the single-judge ruling by filing an appeal before a division bench of the High Court.

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