For Akash Dounde, a final-year student of mass communication from the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), it is a matter of pride to contest the gram panchayat elections in his village.
“I am contesting the upcoming gram panchayat elections from our village Somthane Nalawade in Ahmednagar district. I am working for student issues during my college time and have fought for constitutional rights of students every time in the university,” said 27-year-old Dounde.
Just like Dounde, there are other students from the SPPU, who are contesting the panchayat elections for the first time.
Some of them boast got huge support in their villages, and expect to win the election “bin virodh” (without opposition).
Talking about his election plans, Dounde further said, “While I was studying mass communication I worked for several corporate and political research firms. Then I decided to work in the rural areas. We are not succeeding in providing clean drinking water and a hygienic livelihood in the rural areas. Gender inequality, increasing illiteracy rate, unemployment and farmer suicides disturbs me allot. I live in a village where not even a printed newspaper has reached yet. Around 30 per cent of the population in our village has migrated to city for employment. Generating employment within the village, gender equality and a hygienic livelihood are my priorities. Highly literate people shouldn’t avoid politics, as it is a way to serve society.”
Another student from the SPPU, 21-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad, has completed his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and is from Ghatane village in Solapur district. He is also contesting the gram panchayat elections. “In our democracy the gram sabha is supreme in power and then comes the state assembly and then parliament. Gandhiji used to say if you want to change the face of nation then you must make sustainable changes in your villages. Taking inspiration from there I decided to contest the election and made our own panel in the village with all youngsters on it. Three major things we are focusing on – social, financial and environmental development of our village. We have already started work on solar power regeneration in our village through which each house will get 1KW of electricity. Apart from that, skill development projects for students, digital school, ATM machines, health card system, and a special mobile application for the village to give details of all the benefits and solid waste management are the plans we will be working on once our panel gets elected,” said Ruturaj.
{{/usCountry}}Another student from the SPPU, 21-year-old Ruturaj Gaikwad, has completed his Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and is from Ghatane village in Solapur district. He is also contesting the gram panchayat elections. “In our democracy the gram sabha is supreme in power and then comes the state assembly and then parliament. Gandhiji used to say if you want to change the face of nation then you must make sustainable changes in your villages. Taking inspiration from there I decided to contest the election and made our own panel in the village with all youngsters on it. Three major things we are focusing on – social, financial and environmental development of our village. We have already started work on solar power regeneration in our village through which each house will get 1KW of electricity. Apart from that, skill development projects for students, digital school, ATM machines, health card system, and a special mobile application for the village to give details of all the benefits and solid waste management are the plans we will be working on once our panel gets elected,” said Ruturaj.
{{/usCountry}}Another student of SPPU contesting the elections is Devidas Aarde from Chandgaon village in Indapur taluka, Pune district. Talking about his election plans, Aarde said, “Since childhood I have seen that there were no basic facilities available to villagers and we used to struggle daily for our livelihood. Now the time has come for youth to go beyond political parties and take management of our villages in our hand. So I decided to contest our gram panchayat elections. We like-minded youth in our village came together and made a panel, and now we are contesting to win. Once our panel is elected we will try to bring all the state and central government projects and benefits to each and every house in our village.”