Auction will lead to action

BENGALURU: As reports of Gram Panchayat seats being auctioned even before the elections are pouring in from across the state, the State Election Commission has warned that such candidates will be deported from panchayat limits and will be disqualified after the election.

Karnataka State Election Commissioner B Basavaraju said each district has one or two such incidents. “I have directed concerned deputy commissioners to book cases against candidates and also those involved. I have approached the DG&IGP to give us police help if required,’’ he said. 

It is not the first time that such auctioning has occurred, he said. “But this is the first time they have gone viral on social media sites. During the last Gram Panchayat elections, smartphones and social media were not widely used in villages.

But in these polls, people are recording such auctions and putting them up on social media. This is helping us get proof and that is why we have registered a large number of cases,” he added. The commission has proposed to disqualify candidates who have won unanimously by paying money. The violators can be booked under the Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Act as well as People Representation Act.

Basavaraju said that if villagers witness such auctions, they should file a complaint with the returning officer at their panchayat, or the tahsildar or the deputy commissioner.  The state has reported at least 25 such incidents and most of them are from Tumakuru, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Kalaburgi, Bidar, Mandya, Ballari, Yadgir and Raichur. 

“Villagers themselves fix an amount for the auction and it varies for general category, SC/ST and women seats. It starts from Rs 50,000 and goes up to Rs 1 crore. An understanding between the candidates and villagers, and also the threat of being excommunicated within the village stops villagers from reporting such incidents to the authorities.

Also, villagers use the money raised to take up renovation of a temple or a school or make provisions for drinking water, etc,” a senior State Election Commission official, requesting anonymity, told The New Sunday Express. 

Elections will be held to 5,762 Gram Panchayats in two phases -- December 22 and December 27, where 2.96 crore people are eligible to cast their franchise to elect 92,121 members. At least four lakh people are expected to contest in this election extravaganza. 

Under the hammer
Tumakuru: Paduvagere Panchayat of Kunigal taluk 
Kalaburagi: Belvara Panchayat of Yadrami taluk 
Kolar: Madderi Panchayat of Huttur taluk 
Ballari: Byluru Panchayat of Kurgodu taluk
Chamarajanagar: Gowdahalli Panchayat of Yellanduru taluk