After the completion of the first phase of voting for three-tier Panchayati Raj institutions in Himachal Pradesh, the election results are surprising everyone and forcing them to think outside the box. In this most grassroots celebration of democracy, many such interesting and unique pictures have emerged from Devbhoomi, which prove how closely relationships and public opinion are intertwined in village politics.
In these results, at some places the family members emerged as each other’s supporters, while at other places they were seen beating each other. While in Sundernagar, Mandi, the ‘father-in-law-daughter-in-law’ duo once again did wonders by hoisting the flag of victory together, in the interesting contest between ‘sister-in-law and sister-in-law’ in Rampur’s Juri Tyaval, the sister-in-law defeated the sister-in-law by a huge margin and took the crown of the post of head.
Father-in-law and daughter-in-law duo again won the hearts of the public
In Chanol Panchayat of Sundernagar sub-division of Mandi district, the public has once again expressed confidence in the father-in-law and daughter-in-law pair. In the results of Panchayat elections, daughter-in-law Neelam Thakur was elected Pradhan, while her father-in-law Shankar Singh won the post of Deputy Pradhan and kept the command of the Panchayat in the hands of his family. Neelam Thakur defeated her opponent by a huge margin of 196 votes, while Shankar Singh also performed brilliantly and won by 41 votes. As soon as the election results were announced, there was an atmosphere of excitement among the supporters.
Unwavering public trust even at the age of 90
The most special thing about this victory is Shankar Singh’s long journey of public service. Shankar Singh, who is going to complete 90 years of age on June 30, has been an important face of Panchayat politics for the last five decades. He started his political career in the year 1973 and since then till today he has a distinct identity among the villagers for his simplicity, easy behavior and development works.
Local people say that Shankar Singh’s biggest strength is his humble nature and always being ready to help every person. The result of this belief is that even today the villagers do not hesitate in electing him as their representative. At the same time, daughter-in-law Neelam Thakur has also made her mark as a Panchayat head and Zilla Parishad member. This was the reason that this time also the public expressed confidence in both of them and handed over the reins of the Panchayat to them.
Sister-in-law and sister-in-law competition in Rampur
While the father-in-law-daughter-in-law duo became an example of victory in Mandi, a different electoral battle of relationships was seen in Juri Tyawal Panchayat of Rampur area of Shimla district. Here sister-in-law and sister-in-law were facing each other for the post of head. This contest remained a topic of discussion among the people throughout the elections.
Finally, when the counting of votes was completed, sister-in-law Raj Kanta registered a spectacular victory, defeating her sister-in-law Kanta Negi by a huge margin. Raj Kanta got a total of 635 votes, while Kanta Negi had to be content with 335 votes. In this way, Bhabhi won by a huge margin of 300 votes and took command of the Panchayat.
Public support received on development issues
During the election campaign, both the candidates had made Panchayat development a major issue. Both sought support from villagers on issues like drinking water, roads, cleanliness and better facilities for the youth. However, on the day of voting the public clearly ruled in favor of Raj Kanta. After the victory, she thanked the Panchayat residents and said that she will work for the development of the entire Panchayat area without any discrimination.
Panchayat elections showed the unique color of democracy
The results of the first phase of Panchayat elections once again proved that relationships are important in village politics, but the final decision depends on the public trust and the image of the candidate. While in Mandi the father-in-law-daughter-in-law duo won the trust of the public and took command of the Panchayat, in Rampur the sister-in-law won the competition between sister-in-law and sister-in-law. These interesting results have made the Panchayat elections of Himachal even more interesting and now these election stories are being discussed across the state.