'Auctions' for sarpanch posts go unabated
Though the officials have issued warning against ‘auction’ or ‘sale’ of the sarpanch and other posts ahead of the panchayat raj elections, it appears the villagers are not paying heed. The warning was issued following the ‘aucitions’ of various posts in panchayat in Basvapur village in Sircilla mandal.
Now, the villagers of Sooraram in Kodimyal mandal have sought to ‘auction’ the sarpanch post but not for money.
They want the prospective candidate to donate 5 guntas of land for the local temple for its development. The Kodimyal police have registered a case agaisnt the villagers and sent a report to collector M Veerabrahmaiah through Jagitial RDO M Hanumanta Rao.
In a similar case reported from Deshaipet village, villagers of a particular community have assured any of the prospective sarpanch candidates of 400 votes of their community if the candidate gave funds to their community building.
There are around 1,200 voters in the village. The tahsildar and the SI concerned visited the village on Friday . They conducted a detailed inquiry and sent a report to the magistrate for necessary action, it is learnt.
“Based on the collector’s and the magistrate’s directions, we will take action against those who are involved in the auctioning of various posts of the local bodies. Initially, we have registered a case against five persons, including community heads and sarpanch aspirants, Medipalli sub-inspector O Venkateshwarlu told Express.
Jagitial revenue divisional officer Hanumanta Rao pointed out that though the intention of such ‘auctions’ or ‘sales’ was claimed to raise fund for the development of the villages, the practice was punishable under the electoral laws of the country.
The sarpanchs and office-bearers of the gram panchayats have to be elected through the electoral process mentioned in the Indian Constitution, he added.