BSY confident of BJP-backed candidates winning big in Gram Panchayat polls

BENGALURU: Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday said the candidates supported by the ruling BJP are likely to win a majority of the seats in the Gram Panchayat elections in the state.“According to my information, it is certain that 85-90 per cent of the BJP-supported candidates will get elected in the polls,” he claimed.

Speaking to reporters, Yediyurappa said, “It is a known fact that Congress leaders did not show much interest in these polls. But our workers, MLAs and ministers went around their respective constituencies, worked hard and tried to make people aware at the grassroot level.’’“It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s desire to further enable the Gram Panchayats in the days to come. I assure that all honest efforts will be made by the government to strengthen Gram Panchayats and for their development,” he added.

While voting for 3,019 panchayats was held in the first phase on December 22, polling in 2,709 panchayats was held in the second phase on December 27. The counting of votes for both phases is on December 30.

Although these elections are not held on party symbols, all the political parties had put in efforts to ensure that the candidate supported by them wins. Since Gram Panchayats represent the very basic unit of the political structure, the political parties want to have their hold on the grassroot level politics, which may prove advantageous for them in taluk or zilla panchayat and even assembly polls whenever they happen.