JODHPUR: Zila pramukh seat of
Jodhpur
has gone to the Congress.
Leela Maderna
, wife of former minister Mahipal Maderna who is an accused in the Bhanwari Devi abduction and murder case, was elected as Jodhpur zila pramukh amid high drama leading to intervention of chief minister Ashok Gehlot.
Leela, who won the election for the sixth time, was nominated for the pramukh post by the ruling party after Congress swept 21 out of 37 seats in the panchayat election.
Her nomination irked other two strong contenders, Munni Devi Godara, daughter of former Pali MP Badriram Jakhar, and Neha Choudhary, who was elected unopposed. Both Godara and Choudhary, along with another rebel candidate Lela Devi, filed nominations as independent candidates. This bewildered the party leaders and Congress election strategists.
A party source said irked by this rebellion, the chief minister spoke to these candidates and admonished the strategists for failing to tackle the rebellion.
Leela personally met and requested the reble candidates to withdraw their nominations.
One of the three rebels, Lela Devi, withdrew her nomination. Godara and Choudhary, however, stood their ground, thereby triggering fears of cross voting by them to defeat Leela Maderna. All the party leaders heaved a sigh of relief when the results were declared in the evening and Leela was declared the winner with all 21 votes, including those of Godara and Choudhary. Badriram Jakhar expressed resentment during ticket distribution, accusing Osian MLA Divya Maderna of intervening in the affairs of Bhopalgarh, his stronghold. Tussle between both Jakhar and Maderna family is public knowledge and his desperation to get the zila pramukh seat for his daughter Godara too was well known.
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