BJP's Allegation Rejected: Enquiry Says No Govt Official Touched Gehlot's Feet

Ashok Gehlot had arrived at the Vardhman Jain Vidyalaya polling station in the Mahamandir area to cast his vote. He was accompanied by his wife, Sunita Gehlot, son Vaibhav Gehlot and daughter-in-law Himanshi Gehlot. As he was leaving the polling station after voting, footage of people touching his feet emerged on social media, triggering a political dispute.

How The Enquiry Identified The Three Individuals

The enquiry, based on the Sector Officer's report, CCTV footage and other available information, established the identities of the three people involved.

It transpired that as Gehlot was leaving the polling station after casting his vote, a voter approached him, touched his feet and sought his blessings.

The second person to touch Gehlot's feet was the polling agent of independent candidate Prakash Bagoriya, who was present at the booth. Bagoriya's chief election agent also approached Gehlot and touched his feet.

The enquiry ordered by the Jodhpur District Election Officer found that none of the three were members of the government polling team.

BJP's Original Allegation

Earlier in the day, after photographs and videos of the incident circulated online, the Rajasthan BJP's legal cell alleged that a government employee on election duty had shown deference to a senior leader of a political party at the polling station.

The BJP argued that such conduct could undermine the impartiality of the electoral process and demanded action against the alleged polling official.

The party approached the Jodhpur District Collector and the State Election Commission seeking suspension and disciplinary proceedings.

Enquiry Findings: No Rule Violation

Following the complaint, the Jodhpur District Election Officer ordered an enquiry. Officials examined the Sector Officer's report along with videography and CCTV footage from the polling station. According to the enquiry findings, no member of the polling party got up from their seat to touch Gehlot's feet, and no government employee on election duty was involved in the incident.

The three people identified in the enquiry were an ordinary voter and two authorised agents associated with independent candidate Prakash Bagoriya.

The district administration, therefore, found no violation of election rules or the Model Code of Conduct by a government employee in connection with the incident.

Congress's Response

The Congress welcomed the enquiry findings and accused the BJP of creating a controversy over an incident involving members of the public and election agents.

Jodhpur Congress leaders said Gehlot, who has served as Rajasthan's Chief Minister three times, enjoys longstanding support and respect in Jodhpur.

They described the act of touching his feet as an expression of respect and said the BJP had attempted to give the incident a political colour.

(With inputs from IANS)