The by-election for the president's post of Tikamgarh Municipal Council has been postponed until further orders by the Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission, putting on hold the nomination process that was scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

The decision means candidates who were preparing to file their nomination papers from September 8 will now have to wait for a fresh election schedule. The postponement was communicated by Tikamgarh Collector and District Election Officer Vivek Shrotriya. (Maha Media News)

The rural panchayat elections, however, will continue according to the previously announced schedule, according to the information available following the commission's order.

Nomination process cancelled for now

Under the earlier election programme, the nomination process for the municipal president's post was scheduled to begin on September 8. Candidates could submit their nomination papers until September 15, followed by scrutiny on September 16.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature was September 18, when the final list of candidates and election symbols were also to be announced.

With the latest order, these steps will not take place according to the earlier timetable.

Voting was scheduled for September 29

The now-postponed election was scheduled to be held on September 29 from 7 am to 5 pm. Counting of votes and declaration of the result were scheduled for October 3 from 9 am.

Tikamgarh was among three municipal president posts included in Madhya Pradesh's 2026 urban local body by-election programme. The other two were the president's posts of Susner in Agar-Malwa district and Kukshi in Dhar district.

The commission's latest decision has therefore interrupted a process that had formally moved towards the nomination stage.

President's post became vacant

The by-election became necessary after the removal of Tikamgarh Municipal Council president Abdul Gaffar from the post.

According to the information provided for the report, Gaffar was disqualified following allegations of financial irregularities and was barred from contesting elections for six years. Following the vacancy, Deputy Collector Anjali Sharma was assigned charge of the municipal council's presidency.

The official Tikamgarh Municipal Council website still lists Abdul Gaffar as the council president, indicating that administrative records may not yet have been updated following the latest developments. 

Political activity had intensified

The election announcement had triggered political activity in Tikamgarh, with prospective candidates from both the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress reportedly beginning preparations for the president's post.

The earlier schedule had given aspirants a clear timeline to enter the contest, but the postponement has now put those preparations on hold.

For political parties, the immediate focus will shift to the reasons behind the commission's decision and the timing of the revised election programme.

Fresh schedule awaited

The State Election Commission is expected to issue a revised schedule before the municipal by-election process resumes.

Until a new programme is announced, candidates will not be able to proceed with nominations for the Tikamgarh municipal president's post. The postponement also means the previously announced September 29 polling date and October 3 counting date no longer apply to this election.

The commission's decision has come just as the nomination process was scheduled to begin, leaving prospective candidates and local political parties waiting for further instructions.

The September 8 nomination, September 29 polling and October 3 counting dates were part of the earlier election schedule and should not be presented as current dates after the postponement. The State Election Commission's fresh programme will determine the revised timeline. The rural panchayat election schedule remains separate and, according to the available report, continues as announced.