E-Paper
Ludhiana: Machhiwara village, that had shunned LS polls, decides to elect panchayat unanimously
Deputy commissioner Jitendra Jorwal, senior superintendent of police (SSP) (Ludhiana rural) Navneet Singh Bains and Khaana SSP Ashwini Gotyal directed the SDMs and senior police officers to ensure free and fair polls during the panchayat elections
The Taprian village, which falls under the Samrala sub-division, on Thursday decided to elect the sarpanch (village head) and panchs unanimously.
They have named two women among the panchs.
Residents of the Taprian, along with villagers from - Mushkabad and Khirnian, had boycotted general elections.
No one from the village turned up at polling booths to cast their votes in a protest against establishment of bio gas plants in Mushkabad.
As soon as the election schedule was announced, the residents of Taparia came together and named five panchayat members, including the Sarpanch.
The villagers decided to appoint Gurbachan Singh Basanti as the sarpanch.
The villagers said they have a long-standing tradition of selecting the panchayat without a contest.
Villagers said that panchayat elections have only been conducted four times here since India’s independence.
Former sarpanch Gurpreet Singh Gholi and Captain Harjinder Singh expressed pride in the village’s decision, highlighting that the unanimous election was achieved by rising above party politics.
They urged other villages to follow the example, emphasising that unity and consensus in choosing a panchayat will help end factionalism and promote development.
On October 4, the villagers plan to gather at a local gurdwara before submitting the nomination papers for the unanimously elected panchayat. The official announcement of unanimous panchayats will be made by election officials on October 7.
Hours later, Raul village of Payal also decided to elect panchayat unanimously.
Gurjeet Kaur was named sarpanch. Payal MLA (Manwinder Singh Giaspura congratulated the villagers and said such villages will get ₹5 lakh from the state government.
Deputy commissioner Jitendra Jorwal, senior superintendent of police (SSP) (Ludhiana rural) Navneet Singh Bains and Khaana SSP Ashwini Gotyal directed the SDMs and senior police officers to ensure free and fair polls during the panchayat elections.
The DC and both SSPs said the administration and police will ensure elaborate security arrangements and directed the officers to look into the arrangements involved in the election process. They added that anyone trying to disturb the peaceful conduct will be dealt with sternly.
