Average age of sarpanches is 34

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 19

In the first two phases of elections to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI), people have largely voted for young faces. This is evident from the average age of sarpanches.

As per e-Dashboard of the State Election Commission, the average age of newly elected sarpanches is 34 years. In Mewat district, the average age is 28 years — the lowest among all districts in the state.

A government spokesman said that in the second phase of the elections, the average age of sarpanches was 33 years each in Jind and Palwal districts, 35 each in Fatehabad, Hisar, Kaithal and Panipat, 36 each in Rohtak and Karnal, 37 each in Ambala, Jhajjar Mahendragarh, Panchkula and Sirsa, 38 each in Bhiwani, Sonepat and Yamunanagar, 39 each in Gurgaon and Kurukshetra, and 41 in Rewari.

In the first phase, the average age of sarpanches was 34 each in Kaithal and Palwal, 35 each in Karnal, Kurukshetra, Panchkula, Gurgaon and Sirsa, 36 each in Panipat, Yamunanagar, Mahendergarh, Jind, Hisar and Fatehabad, 37 each in Jhajjar, Rewari and Ambala, and 38 each in Bhiwani, Sonepat, Rohtak and Faridabad.

The spokesman said that in the second phase of the elections, 219 sarpanches were graduate or above. These included 23 from Ambala, 21 from Mahendragarh, 19 from Yamunanagar, 14 from Rewari, 13 each from Sirsa, Jind and Bhiwani, 12 from Gurgaon, 11 each from Mewat and Hisar, 10 from Jhajjar, nine each from Karnal, Kurukshetra and Rohtak, eight from Palwal, seven from Panipat, six from Kaithal, five from Fatehabad, four from Sonepat and two from Panchkula.

He said 243 sarpanches were Class XII pass-outs, whereas 1,165 and 337 sarpanches cleared Class X and VIII, respectively.

In all, 810 women sarpanches have been elected in the second phase. Of these, 57 sarpanches are from Mahendragarh, 55 each from Ambala, Hisar and Yamunanagar, 54 from Gurgaon, 50 each from Bhiwani and Jhajjar, 46 each from Karnal and Mewat, 44 from Jind, 43 from Rewari, 42 from Kurukshetra, 39 from Sirsa, 34 from Palwal, 29 from Kaithal, 25 from Panipat, 23 from Fatehabad, 22 each from Panchkula and Sonepat and 19 from Rohtak.

The spokesperson said 264 sarpanches elected in the first phase were graduates or above. Of them, 23 are from Rewari, 19 from Ambala, 18 each from Bhiwani and Palwal, 17 from Faridabad, 16 each from Kurukshetra and Yamunanagar, 14 each from Kaithal and Mahendragarh, 13 from Sirsa, 12 from Hisar, 11 each from Jind and Karnal, 10 each from Jhajjar, Fatehabad and Rohtak, eight from Panipat, seven each from Mewat and Gurgaon, six from Sonepat, four from Panchkula.

In all, 344 sarpanches have cleared Class XII, 1,552 and 416 sarpanches are Class X and VIII pass-outs, respectively.

He added 1,061 women sarpanches were elected in the first phase of elections. Out of them, 92 are from Yamunanagar, 72 from Kurukshetra, 71 from Rewari, 69 from Bhiwani, 60 each from Karnal and Sirsa, 59 from Kaithal, 55 from Palwal, 53 are from Ambala, 52 from Mahendragarh, 50 from Jhajjar, 48 each from Fatehabad and Sonepat, 46 from Faridabad, 45 from Hisar, 40 from Jind, 31 each from Gurgaon and Mewat, 29 from Panipat, 28 from Rohtak, and 22 from Panchkula.