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Gurdaspur BJP man makes ₹2-cr bid for sarpanch’s post
Three main contenders — BJP’s Atma Singh, Jaswinder Singh Bedi and Nirbhair Singh — were vying for the position. Atma Singh’s bid of ₹2 crore is currently the highest and the funds from this process are expected to go towards the village development projects.
The border village of Hardowal Kalan in Gurdaspur district is in the spotlight due to an unprecedented auction-style bidding for the post of sarpanch, touching ₹2-crore mark. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Atma Singh defeated the other two rivals by making the highest bid.
Three main contenders — BJP’s Atma Singh, Jaswinder Singh Bedi and Nirbhair Singh — were vying for the position. Atma Singh’s bid of ₹2 crore is currently the highest and the funds from this process are expected to go towards the village development projects. The village’s youth assembly has supported this process, with plans to use the funds independently of the government’s panchayat grants. The village is said to be known for choosing sarpanch unanimously.
The bidding started at ₹50 lakh, but escalated rapidly, stirring debates and discussions in the village and beyond. “My father was also a sarpanch and people still remember the development works undertaken by him so I decided to offer the maximum to become a sarpanch. Our village has 350 acres of land. Once I assume charge, I along with youngsters of the village will strive hard to bring more development,” said Atma Singh. Other villages also hail the process as it is “the best process to generate funds” for development, said villagers.
No such complaint has been filed with the administration, said a district official, wishing not to be named. He said there are still some days left for filing of nominations. Other major political parties, such as AAP, Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal, stayed out of this auction process. Nomination can be filed till October 4 and voting will take place on October 15.
Since the panchayat was dissolved in the village, the youth council (21-member committee) is looking after all the arrangements.
Similar incidents have been reported in other parts of Punjab. In Bathinda’s Kotbhara village, a bid of ₹30 lakh was made by Manpreet Singh for the sarpanch’s post with a promise that it would go towards village’s development.
Similar process in Gehri Buttar, another Bathinda village, touched ₹60-lakh mark but unanimity has still not been formed. The bid is still going on. Similar auction is going on in Sukhladhi village in the same district.
This bidding follows a broader pattern in the state where such practices have started surfacing during panchayat elections. “These incidents highlight concerns about the erosion of democratic processes in rural governance in Punjab. Such trend will take the common man and youth out of the race of the election process. The state election commission should take a serious note of such incidents,” said Hardeep Singh Tiwana, a Congress leader.
