Nagpur: Over 70 percent voters exercised their franchise in polls conducted for 357 Gram Panchayats in Nagpur district. People also cast their votes for by-polls of 5 Gram Panchayats. Since the administration is doing calculations, the final number has not yet reached the media.
The polls were conducted for Katol, Narkhed, Saoner, Kalmeshwar, Ramtek, Parseoni, Mauda, Kamptee, Umred, Bhiwapur, Kuhi, Nagpur rural, Hingna talukas. In some Gram Panchayats, the candidates got elected unanimously. The counting will begin on the morning of Monday.
The voting started on Sunday at 7.30 am. By 9.30 am, 11.55% of voters had cast their votes, informed the election department. By 11.30, the district registered 26.51% voting while 45% exercised their franchise by 1.30 pm which further increased to 65% by 3.30 pm. The villagers will elect Sarpanch directly.
Nagpur district has 357 Gram Panchayats, the highest number of Gram Panchayats in the State. In Nagpur district, Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress are in straight contests. Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) is trying its best. But, Ajit Pawar faction, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), Shiv Sena (Shinde Group) were not visible. Last time, Shinde group secured some number of seats while BJP established its supremacy followed by Congress.
Under the leadership of Dr Vipin Itankar, District Collector, the administration and police worked hard due to which no untoward incidents were witnessed.
The GP polls are not fought on party symbols, hence political parties present their results based on the number of winning candidates they backed. Polling for total 357 GPs in Nagpur district were held while another 5 were set for by-polls.
Some GPs saw candidates winning unopposed, though the final figures for such GPs are still awaited.
This poll was for the election of GP members and Sarpanchs, and political parties have keen interest in how these elections pan out. The voting percentage was healthy in all phases. While it does not have any impact on State and Lok Sabha polls, it’s a big test for those who aspire for tickets in those big elections. If somebody wants the party ticket as MLA candidate, then their track record of ensuring victory in gram panchayat polls also adds to the claim, a political leader said
He further said that these polls also reveal how well the party machinery works at the lowest step of the ladder. At the top, you have people working hard anyway because they are much closer to the decision makers. But at the village level, the party needs dedicated cadres, not merely card-holding members. Only if they are motivated will they work and that is the test of the district-level party leadership, said the politician.
The counting on Monday will be done at the Tehsil level, informed the District Collector’s office.
