The verbal assurance given by Dattatreya Patil Revoor, Kalaburagi South MLA and chairman of Kalyan Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB), that each panchayat which gets its members elected unopposed would be sanctioned a ₹ 1 crore special package under KKRDB grants, has created a political sensation in Yadgir district with two gram panchayats already getting their members elected unopposed.
Kodekal Gram Panchayat in Hunsagi taluk under Surpur Assembly constituency and Yalagi Gram Panchayat in Surpur taluk under Shahapur Assembly constituency are the panchayats that have elected their members unopposed after they saw no contest, with only 22 and 17 members filing nomination papers, respectively, to them.
It may be recalled that Mr. Patil, while addressing a gathering during an election campaign in Kalaburagi district, assured them that each gram panchayat would get a special package of ₹ 1 crore in five phases if they get their members elected unopposed. He said that the grant should be utilised for the development of villages coming under such gram panchayats. By making such an announcement, being the chairman of board, Mr. Patil landed in a controversy as president of the District Congress Committee Jagadev Guttedar and the former MLC Allamprabhu Patil filing a written complaint before the State Election Commission stating that Mr. Patil had violated the election code of conduct and seeking immediate legal action against him. Responding to the complaint, the Election Commission wrote to the Deputy Commissioner of Kalaburagi seeking a detailed report.
Meanwhile, the question whether the two gram panchayats of Kodekal and Yalagi would get the promised ₹ 1 crore special package remains to be answered.
Talking to The Hindu, Narasimha Naik, MLA and Chairman of Karnataka Urban Drinking Water Supply and Drainage Board, said: “I will speak to Mr. Patil in order to get ₹ 1 crore special package for the gram panchayats.”
