After declaration of results of the Panchayat elections, the focus of rural politics would shift towards the coveted positions of president District Panchayat and Pramukh Block. The newly elected Member district Panchayat and Member Block Panchayat would elect the above mentioned positions.
There are 7,657 Deputy Pradhans, 89 Block Pramukhs, 89 Senior Deputy Pramukhs, 89 Junior Deputy Pramukhs, 12 Vice President District Panchayat and 12 president District Panchayat which would be indirectly elected for the Panchayati Raj bodies in the 89 blocks of the State.
The Deputy Pradhan would be elected by Member Village Panchayat, the positions of Pramukh, Senior Deputy Pramukh and Junior Deputy Pramukh would be elected amongst the Members of Block Panchayats. The elected members of the District Panchayat would elect the positions of the president and vice-president District Panchayat.
The State Election Commission has sent a recommendation to the State Government to complete the process of elections for the positions of Deputy Pradhan, Block Pramukh, Junior Deputy Pramukh and Senior Deputy Pramukh by July 27 and for president and vice-president District Panchayat by August 5.
It means that the aspirants for the above mentioned positions would be have more than one month to maneuver the members of Electoral College in their favour.
The positions of Block Pramukhs and president District Panchayat would be keenly contested. The rural politics would now witness rampant display for Money and Muscle power in run up to the indirect elections for these positions.
The Block Pramukh and District Panchayat President aspirants would use every possible means to secure the support of the select group of electorate and incidences of keeping them in safe enclosures till the elections would be a common practice now.
Though the Panchayat elections are apolitical both the major political parties the BJP and Congress would now be directly involved in these elections and would try their best to get their supporters or sympathisers elected for the positions of Block Pramukhs and District Panchayat presidents.
After the big success in the General elections, a buoyant BJP had even fielded its candidates for the Member Block and District Panchayat in these elections while a cautious Congress preferred to get active only to garb the positions of Pramukh and President District Panchayat.