Jaipur: Rajasthan State Election Commissioner Rajeshwar Singh said Thursday that the commission would investigate how a candidate whose nomination papers were rejected was allotted a symbol, allowed to contest and declared the winner of Gadra Road gram panchayat sarpanch election in Barmer.Singh, who was on a Barmer visit, made it clear that the commission cannot overturn the result. Any challenge to Pooraram’s election, he said, will have to be filed before a competent court through an election petition.Speaking to TOI, Singh said the matter was brought to his notice Thursday, and the commission would look into the facts. “If any official is found guilty, action will be taken in accordance with the rules,” he said, adding that the commission would investigate whether the election symbol was allotted deliberately or by mistake.In conversation with TOI a day earlier, while Pooraram defended his victory and dismissed the rejection of his nomination as a rumour, his closest rival, Kuldeep Singh, who finished second, alleged through his brother and representative that Pooraram’s nomination was rejected through a public notice issued by the election officials.“The affected party can approach the court and file an election petition within a month,” Singh Box‘Court can invalidate Barmer sarpanch poll result’SEC can’t overturn result after winner is declared: PDT AcharyJaipur: State Election Commission (SEC) cannot overturn an election result once a candidate has been declared the winner, and only a competent court can invalidate it on the basis of an election petition, former Lok Sabha secretary general and constitutional expert PDT Achary said. He was commenting on the Barmer case in which a candidate whose nomination was rejected was allegedly allotted an election symbol and declared sarpanch.Achary said the “Once a candidate is declared winner, the election is complete and the result can’t be overturned by SEC. The SEC can investigate the matter and take appropriate action against the official concerned if found guilty. Since the official is a govt employee, departmental proceedings may also be initiated against him,” Achary said.He added that the court, while delivering its verdict, could also issue directions for action against the official concerned.The matter relates to the sarpanch election held earlier this week in Barmer’s Gadra Road gram panchayat where the returning officer allegedly allotted an election symbol to Pooraram even though his nomination papers were rejected. Pooraram subsequently won the election, raising questions over the poll process.
