While addressing the gathering during the Unity March held to mark Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s 150th birth anniversary, Kharra said:
“On August 15, 2047, the country gained independence with partition. At the time, apart from the regions separated to form two nations, there were 565 princely states within India’s territory. After suffering foreign rule for over a thousand years, our nation achieved independence through the relentless struggle and sacrifices of great revolutionaries.”
Rajasthan ready for local body elections
Kharra announced that the Rajasthan government and the Department of Local Self-Government are prepared to recommend elections for all 300 local bodies from November 1.
He added that most departmental procedures and the gazette notification have been completed, with only a few tasks pending before the State OBC Commission and the State Election Commission. Once OBC data and voter lists are finalized, the government will send its recommendation within four days.
Government reviewing two-child rule
The minister also stated that the state government is reconsidering rules related to child-limit provisions in Panchayati Raj and local body elections.
He explained that restrictions on the number of children were introduced in 1995 and extended to government employees in 2002. Some relaxations were given in 2018, and new proposals have been received seeking further relaxation for aspiring candidates.
According to Kharra, “If government employees can be granted relaxation, then similar exemptions should be considered for those contesting local and Panchayati Raj elections.”
Comments on voter list and protests
Addressing reports of voter list revisions in Bihar, Kharra said that no objections were raised before the Election Commission, suggesting that all deletions were valid.
On the situation in West Bengal, he alleged that the TMC government had included over one crore fake names in the voter rolls
