JAIPUR: For the first time in Rajasthan, an election for recalling an elected chairman of a municipal body will be held in Baran district on December 12 in accordance with the amendment to the Rajasthan Municipalities Act passed by the state assembly in March last year. If more than half the total number of voters in the district's Manglore Nagar Palika (municipality) favours the recall, the elected position of chairman - Ashok Jain -will be nullified. The move has been initiated allegedly due to Jain's highhandedness and non-performance.
When TOI contacted Jain, who was elected as an independent candidate in November 2009, he accused Congress legislator from Anta constituency in Baran district Pramod Jain Bhaya of conspiring to remove him from his elected position.
The voting for the recall is being held after the no-confidence motion that was passed by over three-fourth of the elected members of the municipality board on January 4 got clearance at the levels of district election officer, state's local self government department and state election commission.
The municipality board has 20 elected members of which 17 voted against Jain during the no-confidence motion. Of the 17, 10 members were from Congress, five from BJP and one independent.
Rajasthan's state election commissioner A K Pandey said that as per the amendment carried out by the state assembly to the Rajasthan Municipalities Act in March last year, voting for the recall of Ashok Jain will be held on December 12.
A no confidence motion against Jain had been proposed by the members of the municipality board on January 4.
"The members passed the no-confidence motion on January 4. The proposal to recall Jain was submitted to the district election officer. On receiving the intimation, a meeting of the board members was convened in presence of the presiding officer appointed by then district election officer Shravan Kumar on January 12. As 17 members voted against Jain, the district election officer referred the proposal to the local self government department," said the district election officer Sumati Lal Bohra over phone
Meanwhile, Jain approached the Rajasthan high court against the proposal saying that as the councilors of Manglore Nagar Palika had brought a no-confidence motion in the absence of any rules, re-voting for the same position was not possible. However, the state government put into enforcement the amendment to the Rajasthan Municipalities Act in September last year.
State election commissioner A K Pandey said, "the counting of votes will take place on December 14. If over 50% of voters favour the recall, the chairman's position will be nullified," said the officer. He added that the provision to recall a mayor or a chairman of a municipal body also exists in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh states.
Sources said that Jain had associations with the Congress party, however, he chose to fight as independent candidate when he did not get a Congress ticket.
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Rajasthan referendum to recall corporator
