Unanimous way to grab Panchayats!

​Hyderabad: Going against the spirit of democratic principles, all political parties in Telangana are indulging in malpractices in the panchayat elections even before the notification is issued. Taking advantage of the government policy under which Rs 5 lakh will be given as incentive if any village elects its panchayat unanimously, the parties, mainly ruling TRS and opposition Congress, launched poaching of local leaders with allurements like money and posts to get elected unanimously the Sarpanch and all ward members.

While the State Election Commission authorities maintained that they have no proper mechanism to curb the malpractices, more than 20 per cent gram panchayats of the total 12,751 are already set to go without elections electing all the members including village head unanimously soon after the notification is issued by the commission.

In 2013 elections, 84 panchayats in old Adilabad district, 58 in Karimnagar, 39 in Khammam, 109 in Mahbubnagar, 69 in Medak, 103 in Nalgonda, 40 in Rangareddy and 86 panchayats in Warangal were declared elected unanimously.

All the newly-elected TRS legislators and defeated Congress candidates in all rural Assembly constituencies took serious note of the ensuing local body elections as the panchayats play a key role in consolidating their political power.

The senior leaders from the two parties deputed their trusted lieutenants to the villages to hold talks with the local leaders who aspired to fight for Sarpanch and ward members’ posts. The leaders were offering hefty amount to their rivals if they withdraw from the contest and pave way to declare the contestants elected unanimously.

All the elected TRS MLAs are desperate to display their political might by declaring elections to panchayats in their Assembly constituencies unanimous. Those who are eyeing berths in Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s cabinet are burning the midnight oil to ensure that a majority of panchayats in their segments come under their hold by electing their henchmen as heads of the local bodies in the elections.

A section of the MLAs in both in ruling party and Congress are struggling hard to allot Sarpanch posts to their secondary grade leaders who worked hard for their victory in the recently held assembly elections. All though the panchayat elections are being held without the official symbol of the political parties, the State Election Commission has no powers to check the mainstream parties from the active involvement in the entire electoral process.

The commission’s competence is to stop auctioning of the posts openly during the elections. Such instances were reported in the previous elections. Unless the authorities collect the evidence regarding luring the local leaders for the unanimous election of the panchayat bodies, the commission will not have the right to derecognize the newly-elected bodies.