Few takers for posts of panch in Rohtak villages

Sunit Dhawan

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Rohtak, November 5

There are a few takers for the posts of panch in the villages of Rohtak, which is known as the political capital of Haryana.

There are 142 village panchayats in the district, which have 1,837 posts of panch. Of these, 1,192 panches have been elected unanimously.

Nonetheless, as per the official data, no nomination has been received for 53 posts of panch in Rohtak villages.

This is in sharp contrast with the coveted post of sarpanch, which is the most sought-after seat in the elections to the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs).

“The post of sarpanch symbolises ‘chaudhar’ in a village, which explains the hankering for it. On the other hand, a panch does not enjoy much power, which might be the reason behind the lack of residents’ interest in contesting for it,” observes Dr Sewa Singh Dahiya, a professor in public administration at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) in Rohtak.

Professor Dahiya, however, observes that the people’s disinterest in the posts of panch is not a healthy sign for democracy at grassroots level.

“Such a trend, especially among the politically aware residents of Haryana, is quite surprising. The educated youth of the villages should come forward and participate in the electoral process proactively,” he maintains.

Rohtak Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer (Panchayat) Yash Pal said the residents do not attach much importance to the post of panch. “At times, the village residents reach a mutual agreement on the post of panch from their respective wards,” he said.

Matter of ‘chaudhar’

The post of sarpanch symbolises ‘chaudhar’ in a village, which explains the hankering for it. A panch does not enjoy much power, which might be the reason behind the lack of residents’ interest in contesting for it. — Dr Sewa Singh Dahiya, professor at MDU