Express News Service
BHOPAL: The three-tier panchayat polls in Madhya Pradesh, conducted over nearly two months, came to an end with the polls to decide the chairpersons of 51 district panchayats held on Friday.
The ruling BJP claimed victory in the district panchayat chairpersons’ polls, stating that candidates backed by the party won 41 of the 51 posts, while eight seats were bagged by Congress-backed candidates.
The BJP also claimed victory in 227 out of the 312 janpad panchayats while Congress-supported candidates won 65 janpad Panchayats and the rest 20 went to others. In the village panchayat poll, the BJP claimed that candidates supported by it bagged 20,613-gram panchayats, that is 90% the total 22,924.
Attributing the victory to BJP’s development agenda, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “There will be no dearth of funds in development works for the newly elected panchayats.”
Earlier in the day, high drama unfolded outside the Bhopal District Panchayat building. Coming to know that some newly elected panchayat members supported by Congress had shifted loyalty towards BJP, the Opposition party leaders led by former CM Digvijaya Singh gathered outside the building.
Suddenly, a Congress-supported member, Ram Kunwar Gurjar, wife of the party’s district vice-president Navrang Gurjar, came with her husband, BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma and cabinet minister Bhupendra Singh.
While the Congress workers prevented them from going inside, Ram Kunwar, her husband and Sharma, managed to enter for voting in the district panchayat chairperson polls.
The police stopped Congress leaders from going inside, which led to a scuffle and a picture of Digvijaya holding ACP Umesh Tiwari by the collar of his uniform went viral.
Singh later led a Congress delegation to the state election commission to complain over the issue.
A video showing Singh, a former chief minister, in a heated argument with police personnel while allegedly seeking to stop a woman voter from entering the premises of the district Panchayat office here went viral.
Singh later claimed that his objection was to BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma entering the premises.
Sharma and Urban Development Minister Bhupendra Singh had accompanied the woman voter.
While Congress alleged that the woman was a Congress supporter but the BJP leaders pressurized her, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan condemned Digvijaya Singh’s behaviour.
Singh claimed in a statement later that as he was objecting to Rameshwar Sharma entering the premises along with the woman voter, the policemen on duty pushed him.
“I was trying to stop police from pushing me and did not grab the collar of any policeman as alleged by Chief Minister Chouhan,” the Congress veteran said.
While Chouhan alleged that he (Singh) pushed the gate of the collector’s office, he never went to the collector’s office during the day, Singh claimed.
Congress leader Suresh Pachori, a former Union minister, and party MLAs P C Sharma and Arif Masood were also present when Digvijaya, 75, and a policeman were seen pushing each other.
Later, Congress leaders alleged in a memorandum to the State Election Commission that gross irregularities were carried out by the ruling BJP, local administration and police in the Zila Panchayat polls.
Zila Panchayat members were taken to Chief Minister Chouhan’s residence and later to the polling centre in a government vehicle under police protection, Congress alleged.
Ministers Bhupendra Singh and Vishvas Sarang accompanied these voters and this was an attempt to rig the polls, it claimed.
The Congress’ memorandum also alleged that ‘tender votes’ (votes cast by a proxy) were cast in place of zila panchayat members in violation of rules.
No action was taken by the authorities despite repeated complaints, hence the polls for Bhopal Zila Panchayat president’s post must be annulled, the opposition party demanded.
State Congress chief Kamal Nath alleged that the BJP won the Zila Panchayat president’s post by indulging in gross irregularities.
Hitting back, CM Chouhan said Digvijaya’s behaviour with the policeman did not befit the stature of a former chief minister.
Such “arrogant acts” are a reflection of the fact that Congress is losing its base, the CM added.
CM promises funds
Attributing the victory to BJP’s development agenda, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “There will be no dearth of funds in development works for the newly elected panchayats across the state.”
(With PTI Inputs)
BHOPAL: The three-tier panchayat polls in Madhya Pradesh, conducted over nearly two months, came to an end with the polls to decide the chairpersons of 51 district panchayats held on Friday.
The ruling BJP claimed victory in the district panchayat chairpersons’ polls, stating that candidates backed by the party won 41 of the 51 posts, while eight seats were bagged by Congress-backed candidates.
The BJP also claimed victory in 227 out of the 312 janpad panchayats while Congress-supported candidates won 65 janpad Panchayats and the rest 20 went to others. In the village panchayat poll, the BJP claimed that candidates supported by it bagged 20,613-gram panchayats, that is 90% the total 22,924.
Attributing the victory to BJP’s development agenda, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “There will be no dearth of funds in development works for the newly elected panchayats.”
Earlier in the day, high drama unfolded outside the Bhopal District Panchayat building. Coming to know that some newly elected panchayat members supported by Congress had shifted loyalty towards BJP, the Opposition party leaders led by former CM Digvijaya Singh gathered outside the building.
Suddenly, a Congress-supported member, Ram Kunwar Gurjar, wife of the party’s district vice-president Navrang Gurjar, came with her husband, BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma and cabinet minister Bhupendra Singh.
While the Congress workers prevented them from going inside, Ram Kunwar, her husband and Sharma, managed to enter for voting in the district panchayat chairperson polls.
The police stopped Congress leaders from going inside, which led to a scuffle and a picture of Digvijaya holding ACP Umesh Tiwari by the collar of his uniform went viral.
Singh later led a Congress delegation to the state election commission to complain over the issue.
A video showing Singh, a former chief minister, in a heated argument with police personnel while allegedly seeking to stop a woman voter from entering the premises of the district Panchayat office here went viral.
Singh later claimed that his objection was to BJP MLA Rameshwar Sharma entering the premises.
Sharma and Urban Development Minister Bhupendra Singh had accompanied the woman voter.
While Congress alleged that the woman was a Congress supporter but the BJP leaders pressurized her, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan condemned Digvijaya Singh’s behaviour.
Singh claimed in a statement later that as he was objecting to Rameshwar Sharma entering the premises along with the woman voter, the policemen on duty pushed him.
“I was trying to stop police from pushing me and did not grab the collar of any policeman as alleged by Chief Minister Chouhan,” the Congress veteran said.
While Chouhan alleged that he (Singh) pushed the gate of the collector’s office, he never went to the collector’s office during the day, Singh claimed.
Congress leader Suresh Pachori, a former Union minister, and party MLAs P C Sharma and Arif Masood were also present when Digvijaya, 75, and a policeman were seen pushing each other.
Later, Congress leaders alleged in a memorandum to the State Election Commission that gross irregularities were carried out by the ruling BJP, local administration and police in the Zila Panchayat polls.
Zila Panchayat members were taken to Chief Minister Chouhan’s residence and later to the polling centre in a government vehicle under police protection, Congress alleged.
Ministers Bhupendra Singh and Vishvas Sarang accompanied these voters and this was an attempt to rig the polls, it claimed.
The Congress’ memorandum also alleged that ‘tender votes’ (votes cast by a proxy) were cast in place of zila panchayat members in violation of rules.
No action was taken by the authorities despite repeated complaints, hence the polls for Bhopal Zila Panchayat president’s post must be annulled, the opposition party demanded.
State Congress chief Kamal Nath alleged that the BJP won the Zila Panchayat president’s post by indulging in gross irregularities.
Hitting back, CM Chouhan said Digvijaya’s behaviour with the policeman did not befit the stature of a former chief minister.
Such “arrogant acts” are a reflection of the fact that Congress is losing its base, the CM added.
CM promises funds
Attributing the victory to BJP’s development agenda, CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, “There will be no dearth of funds in development works for the newly elected panchayats across the state.”
(With PTI Inputs)
