DEHRADUN: Alarm bells are ringing at the Uttarakhand State Election Commission as a startling lack of enthusiasm among prospective candidates threatens the integrity of the state-level Panchayat elections scheduled for the end of this month.
According to official sources, this election has seen only 25,587 candidates come forward for 55,587 posts. It marks a considerable 16.8% decline from the last Panchayat elections held in 2019, when 30,752 candidates contested 55,574 positions.
Since the formation of Uttarakhand, this election once again highlights a waning interest among traditional public representatives in contesting local polls. Conversely, the changing rural landscape has seen “enthusiastic and celebratory” participation from former servicemen and bureaucrats, bringing a new dynamic to the electoral arena.
While there still is healthy competition for the coveted Gram Pradhan (village head) post, the participation of Panchayat members, a crucial element of local governance, has seen a particularly sharp decline, mirroring the overall 16.8% drop.
The State Election Commission is not taking this trend lightly. A senior official stated, “Following the declaration of election results, we will conduct a thorough deep dive to meticulously study and investigate the underlying reasons behind this significant disinterest.” Officials are reportedly “perplexed” by the significant drop in nominations.
The alarming disinterest has not gone unnoticed by local observers. “Such candidate apathy is a fatal sign for rural democracy,” warned Anoop Nautiyal, a prominent social activist and founder of Social Development for Communities (SDC), highlighting the potential long-term damage to grassroots governance.
Nautiyal has raised serious concerns regarding the growing disinterest among public representatives in participating in elections, particularly at the grassroots level. He has urged the Election Commission to intervene decisively.
“The increasing apathy among public representatives towards elections needs to be addressed by the EC on a war footing, with a thorough investigation to rectify this flaw,” Nautiyal stated. He questioned the disparity in electoral norms, highlighting that while there are no educational qualification requirements for MLAs or MPs, imposing such conditions for village representatives acts as a “roadblock” to the electoral process.
Nautiyal acknowledged potential compulsions on the part of the Election Commission. “However,” he warned, “the rate at which this ‘disease’ of rural representatives shying away from elections is growing, it could take a more distorted form in the future.”