Panchayats have played a vital role in facilitating local self-governance in India since ancient times. Urban local bodies (UlBs), too, fulfill this important task in urban areas. Compared to Vidhan Sabha and lok Sabha elections, the voters and candidates are more involved when it comes to Panchayat and urban local body elections. There are 7,705 Gram Panchayats, 50,770 Gram Panchayat member posts, 95 Block Panchayats, 3,280 Block Panchayat member posts, 13 District Panchayats and 409 District Panchayat member posts in Uttarakhand.
The Panchayat elections are expected to be held in Uttarakhand by February next year to meet the March 29, 2014 deadline before which the first meeting of the Panchayats is required to be held. The State Election Commission is planning to take measures for further enhancing the organisation of Panchayat polls while ensuring the desired transparency and a level playing field for the contesting candidates. In an exclusive conversation with The Pioneer, the State Election Commissioner, Subardhan, spoke about issues ranging from the duty of the citizens to vote for ensuring the desired level of governance and development to measures planned by the SEC for the upcoming Panchayat polls like establishing a toll free telephone line for complaints during the elections.
Regarding the level of awareness in voters of Uttarakhand, Subardhan said, “The voter in Uttarakhand has been comparatively more aware even before the State’s formation. The voter turnout in Panchayat elections has always been higher than in Assembly elections and in the Panchayat polls, the contest between candidates is generally neck-to-neck.
The smaller the seat, the greater the link between the voters and candidates, which in turn results in a sharper electorate and greater turnout compared to Vidhan Sabha and lok Sabha elections. Panchayat and UlB elections generate more heat than the General and Assembly elections due to the greater voter-candidate interaction.”
Replying to whether there is need for adopting measures like making voting mandatory in urban local body elections as in Gujarat where legislation to this effect was passed, the State Election Commissioner favoured the gradual education of voters in stead of making voting compulsory. “The citizens must be made to realise that the voting franchise was achieved by Indians after much struggle which first resulted in the nation becoming independent and then setting up a democratic system of governance. The citizens should feel duty bound to vote because elections are the substance of democracy and without voting it is futile to complaint about anomalies in the system.
Voters have the right to demand that their elected representatives perform. Even if bureaucrats do not function as desired, the voters have the power to demand that they work efficiently. Taking policy decisions is up to the Parliament and Vidhan Sabha, but I feel that making a task mandatory increases the probability of its violation so educating the voters is more effective to ensure maximum turnout for the polls,” he stressed.
The SEC is planning to use all available tools including Electronic Voting Machines, social media, camps to educate voters and IT to enhance Panchayat polls and facilitate the desired level of transparency. Subardhan, who has worked in various capacities as an IAS officer in western Uttar Pradesh for 20 years and in Uttarakhand for 13 years states that compared to UP there are no major challenges during the Panchayat and UlB elections in Uttarakhand as this is a comparatively peaceful state. “We have to revise the voter list efficiently sifting out the names of voters who have either died or shifted or have been entered in the list fraudulently; arrange for manpower and police force and facilitate a transparent and unbiased scenario during the elections. As the first meeting of the elected Panchayats is to be held before March 29, the Panchayat elections will have to be held by February. In case of some areas remaining snow bound, the polls will be held in phases. In the meantime, in order to strengthen the SEC, funds are expected to be received this year or the next under the Rajiv Gandhi Panchayat Sashaktikaran Abhiyan,” said Subardhan.
The SEC is also planning to establish a toll-free telephone line for election related complaints during the Panchayat polls. “Effort is needed to strengthen the system and develop the nation. In case of anomalies in the polls, the people should inform the SEC about the same. Instead of playing the blame game and shifting responsibilities, we need to put our heads together and strengthen governance for which voting is the first step,” added the State Election Commissioner.