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Democracy without choice: how unopposed Maharashtra rural polls silence dissent

Amid ongoing debates over the special intensive revision (SIR) drive by the Election Commission, name deletions, and electoral transparency, a quiet disenfranchisement persists at the grassroots level in Maharashtra -- where some local panchayats have not held elections for as long as 70 years. In these villages, the local leadership ensures that all members of the gram panchayat are chosen “unopposed”, bypassing the ballot box entirely.

In Angar town of Solapur district, a gram

In Angar town of Solapur district, a gram panchayat election hasn’t been held in 60 years. Even when the village was upgraded to a nagar panchayat last year due to population growth, leadership remained uncontested.

“We don’t have local elections; our people only

“We don’t have local elections; our people only vote for the Assembly and Lok Sabha. We have stood united for all these years, and people have faith in our family,” said former MLA Rajan Patil, whose family has controlled local politics for generations.

Over the decades, the politically versatile family has

Over the decades, the politically versatile family has transitioned through the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party, and currently, the BJP.

Succeeding his late father Baburao, Mr. Rajan Patil

Succeeding his late father Baburao, Mr. Rajan Patil now shares political power with his sons, Ajinkya and Vikrant, while his daughter-in-law, Prajakta, was elected unopposed as the nagar panchayat’s first president last year.

However, the transition stirred controversy after opponents alleged

However, the transition stirred controversy after opponents alleged that aspiring candidates were threatened and pressured not to run, accusations the Patils strongly deny.

This culture of unopposed elections has taken root

This culture of unopposed elections has taken root in hundreds of villages across Maharashtra. Mr. Rajan Patil defends the practice, arguing that competitive elections divide communities, waste money, and hinder development.

A similar dynamic unfolds in Perid village in

A similar dynamic unfolds in Perid village in Kolhapur district. With a population of about 3,000, Perid has not held a contested gram panchayat election since 1956, leaving the local Patil family in charge.

“This is our tradition, where all villagers come

“This is our tradition, where all villagers come together and decide who should be the member of the gram panchayat. In the last election, one person went against this tradition and an election was held for one of the nine seats, but he didn’t even turn up to vote,” says deputy sarpanch Shivaji Patil.

He added that this unopposed election culture extends

He added that this unopposed election culture extends beyond village politics to local milk societies and other cooperative bodies.

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Democracy without choice: how unopposed Maharashtra rural polls silence dissent

Amid ongoing debates over the special intensive revision (SIR) drive by the Election Commission, name deletions, and electoral transparency, a quiet disenfranchisement persists at the grassroots…

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Source: The Hindu
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