Khatushyamji Municipal Election Stalls After Candidate Disappears

Returning officer Kapil Upadhyay confirmed that ballot boxes were sealed under State Election Commission mandates once the candidate failed to arrive. The voting window, initially extended to 10:30 AM to accommodate the delay, closed without progress, sparking a standoff between BJP and Congress supporters within the municipal premises. Tensions escalated as the missing candidate’s family demanded the filing of a kidnapping case, while rival party members staged sit-in protests that lasted until the boxes were transferred to a secure strong room under police guard.

This incident follows a pattern of political instability in Rajasthan’s recent urban local body elections. In Ajmer, the process was marked by internal fractures within the Congress party, where councillors defied their leadership to support the BJP board. As law enforcement agencies continue the search for Devi, the Khatushyamji election remains suspended pending further directives from the state’s electoral authorities.