A fresh controversy has erupted surrounding the sarpanch election results in Hingi gram panchayat, located within the Kota district of Rajasthan. Serious allegations regarding irregularities during the vote-counting process have come to light, raising questions over the administration's handling of the polls. A candidate contesting the election has claimed that major discrepancies were made concerning election symbols on the official result sheet, prompting formal complaints to multiple administrative and judicial authorities.
Allegations of Swapped Election Symbols
At the heart of the dispute is a glaring error involving the assigned election symbols of the candidates. According to candidate Chandraprakash Nagar, Banwari, who contested the sarpanch election at serial number three, was officially allotted a jackfruit as his election symbol. However, when the election team released the final result sheet, a brinjal was recorded in place of the jackfruit. The candidate argues that such a careless mistake directly undermines the credibility of the entire electoral procedure.
Counting Agent Objections Ignored
The dispute intensified right on the counting floor when the discrepancy first came to light. Nagar stated that his counting agent immediately raised objections after noticing the incorrect symbol on the document. The agent strongly demanded an immediate recount of the votes. Despite this timely intervention, the election team allegedly ignored the protest and proceeded to declare the final results without undertaking a fresh count.
Furthermore, Nagar raised procedural objections concerning the handling of the ballots themselves. He alleged that during the counting process, the actual ballot papers were never shown to the candidates or their representatives. The election staff reportedly sorted and counted the votes entirely on their own. Additionally, the candidate pointed out that the result sheet lacked critical information, failing to mention the total votes cast, the number of rejected ballots, and the victory margin of the winning candidate. The complaint also highlights that the results were published without obtaining the mandatory signatures of the counting agents.
Formal Complaints Filed Before Authorities
Seeking redress for these alleged irregularities, Chandraprakash Nagar has formally approached several high-ranking officials and judicial bodies. Complaints have been lodged before the district election officer, the district collector, the sub-divisional officer of Sangod, and the district judge. Through these petitions, the candidate has demanded a thorough inspection of the original records, ballot papers, result sheets, and all related documents associated with the vote counting.
Waiting for Administrative and Judicial Action
The grievances raised by Nagar have put the spotlight back on the transparency of the electoral mechanism in Hingi gram panchayat. As of now, official responses from election authorities or details regarding administrative actions on the complaints are still awaited. It remains to be seen whether the authorities will order an investigation into the records and how the error regarding the jackfruit and brinjal will be addressed. The primary demand from the candidate continues to be a full recount of the votes.
