SEC warns against ‘influencing’ voters to opt for unanimous election

Giving undue publicity to the monetary incentive for gram panchayats that elect their sarpanches unanimously will probably be seen as an exercise unfavorable to the democratic spirit of elections, and such “forced unanimous” choices will probably be stopped at any price, State Election Commissioner N. Ramesh Kumar has asserted.

Addressing the media right here on Friday evening, Mr. Ramesh Kumar mentioned that these attempting to affect the voters by any means to go for unanimous elections could be put below home arrest to guarantee free and truthful casting of votes.

Mr. Ramesh Kumar mentioned that within the 2006 elections, there have been 18% circumstances of unanimous elections in Kurnool district, and that had come down to 14% in 2013, primarily due to the voters being higher knowledgeable and democratic values getting imbibed.

“But if someone tries to give advertisements to propagate ‘unanimous election’ as though it is the panacea for development of gram panchayats, it will be viewed seriously and summarily stopped,” he warned.

Strict vigil

“The Kurnool electors are quite matured. They had came out to vote in highest numbers – 88% in 2013 elections. I hope, in the current elections, despite the COVID-19 pandemic disturbing the people health-wise, they will come out in large numbers and vote,” Mr. Ramesh Kumar mentioned.

Camera groups would comply with individuals coming for canvassing within the villages and a shadow crew would regulate their exercise, he added.

Kerala, Karnataka, and Rajasthan held panchayat elections, and no large-scale unanimous elections had been witnessed there, and none campaigned / publicised this facet, the SEC noticed.

“Unanimous elections are a natural process in a few places where people of eminence or popular in a village are urged by all local residents to unanimously get elected for development of their panchayat. But no financial lure or criminal force should be used. Superintendent of Police Fakkeerappa Kaginelli and District Collector G. Veerapandian have made sufficient arrangements to check such instances,” he mentioned.

The SEC was all reward for the district administration and the well being professionals and staff for controlling COVID-19 and bringing down constructive circumstances from greater than 1,000 a day to only a single digit now.