Voting for the second phase of three-tier Panchayati Raj elections in Himachal Pradesh ended peacefully today. Now the results are being declared immediately after the end of voting at the polling booths. Amidst all this, an election result came out from the largest district Kangra which has surprised the entire political circle and the general public.
became head for the 7th consecutive time
In today’s modern era, where the public is very aware and generally gets bored with the work of their Panchayat representatives within a year or two and elects a new Pradhan or Deputy Pradhan, the people of Gram Panchayat Sarut of Nagrota Bagwan development block of Kangra have created history.
The strong woman leader here, Alpana Sharma, has proved her supremacy by winning the election for the post of Pradhan for the 7th consecutive time, destroying all the political equations. He made this great record by defeating his nearest rival by a margin of 124 votes. Alpana Sharma has become the head for the 7th time in the first phase of Panchayat elections.
The journey started from 1995, was elected unopposed in 2005
This unstoppable political journey of Alpana Sharma started almost three decades ago in the year 1995, when she entered the electoral fray for the first time from the women’s reserved seat. After that first win he never looked back.
His popularity among the people was such that in the 2005 Panchayat elections, the people of Sarut elected him ‘unopposed’ as their head without any opposition. Waving the flag of victory continuously for the last 30 years makes it clear that his relationship with the public is not just that of a public representative but like a family member.
Spine broken, but no courage
Alpana Sharma became emotional after this historic victory and gave full credit of her success to the immense love and blessings of the godlike people of Sarut Panchayat. While sharing a very touching memoir of his service journey, he told that there was a time when there came a turning point in his life when due to a terrible accident, his spinal cord was broken (spine fracture).
“Even during that period of unbearable physical pain and helplessness, I never lost courage. Despite being in a wheelchair and on a bed, my focus always remained on the development work of my Panchayat and solving the problems of the people. Seeing his unwavering spirit of service and honesty, the villagers blindly trusted him this time too.
Priority to politics of development and loyalty
After the results were declared, Alpana Sharma clarified that the only objective of her politics is the all-round development of Sarut village and to extend the benefits of government schemes to the last person of the society. She said that with the same devotion and transparency with which she has worked for the last 30 years, she will keep public service as her top priority in the upcoming tenure too. In today’s changing times, this 7th consecutive victory of Alpana Sharma has become a subject of research in the politics of Himachal.