Preparations for the upcoming panchayat elections in Sirohi have led to the deployment of various department personnel, including staff from the animal husbandry sector, for poll-related duties. Approximately 100 employees from the department across the district have been assigned to election work, encompassing technical staff as well. This administrative decision has raised serious concerns about the disruption of veterinary services at numerous sub-centers and hospitals in rural areas. During previous elections, the assignment of veterinary personnel to poll duties left many livestock owners unable to secure timely treatment for their sick animals, with some locations even reporting casualties due to untreated medical emergencies.
Incidents of untreated livestock and local grievances
A striking example of this recurring problem occurred in Kivarli village within the Abu Road region, where local livestock owner Ganpat Singh lost an animal during past elections. Because the assigned veterinary worker was deployed for poll duty, the animal failed to receive timely medical attention and ultimately died. Addressing these hardships, local farmers from Santpur village, Peeraram Devasi and Vagharam Devasi, voiced their ongoing frustrations. They explained that diverting veterinary staff to election duties creates severe hurdles for farmers trying to treat sick livestock and manage daily husbandry tasks. Having faced similar troubles previously, the villagers are strongly appealing to the government to exempt veterinary personnel from poll assignments so that animal healthcare remains uninterrupted.
Demands from the national livestock association
Stepping up pressure on the administration, Savaram Devasi, the Sirohi district president of the Rashtriya Pashupalak Sangh, formally submitted a memorandum to the Sirohi District Collector. The representation urges the authorities to guarantee the constant availability of veterinary doctors and medical staff at hospitals throughout the election period. Savaram emphasized that pulling hospital staff away for electoral duties severely jeopardizes animal healthcare networks. In the rural tracts of Sirohi, animal husbandry serves as the primary livelihood foundation for residents. Consequently, ensuring prompt medical access during sudden illnesses, physical injuries, or emergency situations remains an absolute necessity.
Employee union protests and election commission guidelines
Concurrently, the Rajasthan Pashupalak Karmachari Sangh has also strongly opposed the mobilization of technical staff for election assignments. Sirohi district president Shankarlal and district secretary Gopalakrishnan Upadhyay formally petitioned the District Collector, demanding the exemption of livestock inspectors, livestock extension officers, and senior livestock extension officers from election duties. Their petition explicitly cited a circular issued by the Chief Electoral Officer of Rajasthan on June 22, 2023, which outlines instructions to keep doctors and compounders working in veterinary hospitals free from poll-related obligations. The union underscored that continuous delivery of essential services such as preventing infectious animal diseases, administering intensive vaccinations, performing artificial insemination, and providing emergency medical care could be severely undermined by staff shortages.
