As the first polling day approaches for the Panchayat elections in Uttarakhand, on the face of it, there does not seem to be much excitement among the electorate on exercising their franchise. One reason could be the fact that much of the campaigning is being done on social media and is not visible on the ground. That does not mean candidates are not making the effort to go from door to door, but it is proving difficult owing to the difficult terrain in the hills and the continuing rain. Promotional internet posts are an easy and low-cost alternative.
Apart from the fact that these polls will provide yet another opportunity for the Congress to challenge the BJP’s hegemony in the state, there is the hope that a new generation of leadership may also emerge from the grassroots. Whoever wins will, however, face numerous challenges as the progress made by the state has not sufficiently made it to the villages and remote areas. There is no doubt that numerous schemes have been launched to generate employment, make farming a lucrative occupation, and boost the handicrafts sector, but it is not proving enough to prevent the continuing migration. Even the effort to provide basic amenities at the village level is not making the desired impact. One reason for this is the inability of pradhans and suchlike to leverage their positions to obtain these from the government. Instead, it has become the practice to divert development funds through various scams, even in the present age of digitalisation. This increases the reluctance at the higher levels to transfer greater powers to the panchayat representatives.
Unfortunately, as usual, voters continue to make their choices based on caste, tribe, community, etc., instead of the solutions offered by candidates on outstanding issues. Hopefully, when the elections are done, studies will be conducted on what the voters’ priorities were. It is to be hoped that some progress will have been made in this regard.
The government should actively interact with the newly elected representatives, no matter which political parties they belong to, so that a sense can be obtained about which issues are to be prioritised. A sincere effort should be made to delegate powers in the spirit of the 73rd Amendment. Also, the pradhans should be sent on tours to other hill states like Himachal Pradesh to learn best practices. Developing a collective consciousness at this level would play a big role in improving conditions at the grassroots.
