Voting in the second phase of the urban local body elections in Rajasthan’s Sikar district was held on Friday across four urban local bodies, recording an overall turnout of 76.75 percent. Tensions were reported at several places, including a clash between BJP and Congress supporters in Ward 15 and allegations of fake voting in Ward 18, where police detained several people.
A dispute between BJP and Congress supporters at a polling station in Ward 15 of the Sikar Municipal Council escalated into a physical clash. Tension prevailed in the area following the incident, and police personnel were deployed.
The BJP candidate alleged that he was also assaulted. He alleged that the attackers hit him on the chest and attempted to tear his clothes. Police reached the spot, brought the situation under control and began searching for those accused of assault.
Sikar District Collector Ashish Modi, Superintendent of Police Praveen Nayak Nunawat and Sikar MLA Rajendra Pareek reached the spot after receiving information about the incident. Police and administrative officials inspected the situation.
A dispute was also reported at Semrock Prerna School in Ward 15. Congress supporters were accused of damaging a media worker’s camera. There was also a report of an assault on the husband of the BJP candidate.
Police reached the spot, used mild force and dispersed the people present there. Sitting chairman Jeevan Khan and BJP candidate Simran Mundori are contesting from the ward.
A dispute over the voting process was also reported in Ward 18. The son of Congress candidate Sabir was accused of casting fake votes three times. He was allegedly hiding in a house opposite School No. 5 polling station. Police detained him.
Police also detained two women in the same ward over allegations of fake voting and took them to the police station. In addition, a youth was taken into custody after a complaint of fake voting at the polling booth of Balika Adarsh Vidya Mandir, located opposite Bioscope Mall.
Police enforced election rules around polling stations. Tables belonging to candidates’ agents had been set up within 200 metres of Government Senior Secondary School No. 5 in Ward 18. Police had the tables removed from the area.
People and vehicles standing within 200 metres of the Power House and other polling centres on Fatehpur Road were also removed. In Ward 36, a camper vehicle without a registration number was found parked near the polling centre. Police deflated all four tyres of the vehicle.
During polling, police detained Kishan, the brother-in-law of BJP candidate Neetu from Ward 6. Following a complaint, police took him from in front of the polling booth by holding his collar and placing him in a jeep before taking him to the police station. He was later released.
By 6 pm on Friday, overall voter turnout across four urban local bodies in Sikar district stood at 76.75 percent. Dhod Municipality recorded the highest turnout at 82.97 percent.
Losal Municipality recorded 78.93 percent turnout, Ramgarh Shekhawati Municipality 72.89 percent and Sikar Municipal Council 72.21 percent.
Polling was held on Friday for 64 of the 65 wards in the Sikar Municipal Council. Congress candidate Maya Devi from Ward 65 had already been elected unopposed, giving Congress one seat before polling.
Ward 18 of the Sikar Municipal Council had 11 candidates in the fray. The candidates included Congress’s Sabir Hussain and BJP’s Shakeel, along with seven independents, one candidate from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and one from the Rashtriya Loktantrik Party.
In contrast, 10 wards had only two candidates each, resulting in direct contests between Congress and BJP. These were Wards 14, 21, 26, 28, 31, 34, 41, 44, 45 and 52.
Young voters who were voting for the first time also participated in the polling in Sikar. At the Ward 31 polling booth at Adarsh Vidya Mandir in Mathur Colony, Kumkum Mathur, Harshit Mathur, Aditi Mathur and Rakshita Mathur exercised their franchise for the first time.
Aditi Mathur said after voting that she felt every vote contributes to deciding the country’s future and strengthening democracy.
Cancer survivor Gayatri Devi also reached the polling centre at Adarsh Vidya Mandir in Mathur Colony, Sikar, to cast her vote. Her nephew Manish Dixit and other family members took her to the polling centre in a wheelchair.
Considering the heat and humidity, tents were arranged at polling centres for voters’ convenience. Long queues of voters were seen at several booths from the morning.
Police and the administration made security arrangements during the polling process in Sikar. Additional Superintendent of Police Dr Tejpal Singh inspected various polling centres, while police presence was increased at sensitive locations.
A scuffle was also reported at the gate of the Jain School polling booth in Ward 11, following which a political agent was removed from the premises. In Ward 18, a scuffle also took place among people outside the booth, after which police dispersed the crowd.
A holiday was declared on polling day in the urban local body areas where voting was held in Sikar. September 11 was also observed as a dry day in these election areas, with a ban on the sale of liquor in force.
