Jaipur: With panchayat polls likely to be delayed due to the state govt's proposed ‘One State-One Election' policy, village heads (sarpanch) are concerned about the potential appointment of administrators after their elected terms end on Jan 17.
Chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma has reached out to the BJP govt in Madhya Pradesh, seeking a detailed report on how the neighbouring state managed a similar issue. In MP, the tenure of village heads was extended—without appointing administrators in their places—following a delay in holding panchayat polls during the Covid situation.
In a meeting with the Sarpanch Sangh on Monday, chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma assured the group that Rajasthan has no immediate plans to appoint administrators. Following Sharma's assurances, the Sangh rescheduled its protests in Jaipur for Dec 22. However, it is noteworthy that the govt has appointed administrators in 49 urban local bodies whose terms ended in Nov.
Sangh spokesperson Rafique Pathan said that the state govt authorised food and civil supplies minister Sumit Godara and Kekri MLA Shatrughan Gautam to negotiate with the village heads. "The chief minister informed us that a legal team and a group of officers from the CMO have been assigned to examine the MP model and advise the state govt on extending the tenure of village heads," Pathan said.
Earlier, during a meeting at the secretariat on Monday, the village heads demanded that if elections are not held timely following the 'One State-One Election' policy, the current representatives' terms should be extended and they be allowed to continue without appointing administrators.
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The Highlights
Tenures of zila parishads, panchayats, blocks and panchayat samiti were extended in Madhya Pradesh from 2020 to 2022 due to Covid pandemic and pending delimitation
Tenures of many panchayats in Rajasthan is ending on Jan 17
Rajasthan plans to hold urban local body and panchayat elections together due to its proposed ‘One State-One Election' policy
Village heads (sarpanch) want no administrators, seek extension of own tenures