HEART OF PUNJAB: Volatile Patti sees rare unanimity during poll

A All 72 villages in Patti subdivision of Tarn Taran district have elected their sarpanches unopposed ahead of the October 15 panchayat elections. In Naushehra Pannua subdivision, which is part of Patti Assembly constituency, 56 out of 59 sarpanches were elected unopposed.

This unanimous choice of villagers, however, does not fit with the history of the land. People from this area are known to be temperamental and reactive.

Patti is located just 22 km from Lahore, the erstwhile capital of the Mughal rulers. Known for their flaring temper, residents of the then tehsil, which included most areas of Khara Majha, a geographical region of Majha which has brackish waters, invited the ire of the Mughals. A Governor was appointed to oversee law and order.

The main reason for the appointment was that landlords of the area often revolted against the Empire. They frequently picked up fights with each other. Before the Governor was appointed, it took a long time for the forces to reach Patti to handle minor disputes, which often turned violent.

Things changed after Independence when politicians began to take charge. Partap Singh Kairon became the Chief Minister in 1956. The 'mohatbars' (prominent community leaders) became the link between the common man and the government when it came to getting works done.

"Pehlan sama hor si. Hun koi hor hai. Par Patti de lok ohi ne (Times have changed, but Patti people have remained the same). Tempers flare easily. These elections are made to sound unanimous because the powerful don't allow others to stand up. The old story continues," says an elderly person from the area.

Unanimous election ('sarb-samiti') is actually happening because either prospective candidates have not been allowed to file nominations or their papers were rejected. Certain candidates were forced to withdraw their candidature. People now call the elections as 'sabar-samitis'. 'Sabar' in Punjabi also means to make peace with something.

Those living in villages know that politics and power played a pivotal role in getting these sarpanches elected unopposed. Aspirants to the post from opposition parties didn't consider it worthwhile to spend Rs 30-40 lakh on campaigning as they are not sure of recovering the amount in a less-than-half term of the current government.

'Mohatbars' proved their closeness to the MLA by disallowing the election in their village. One of the most often-used 'weapon' is to get the nomination papers of candidates opposed to the party in power cancelled. A candidate unable to ensure that his rivals either withdraw their candidature or cancel their papers is not thought to be competent for the post of sarpanch.

During the previous Vidhan Sabha term (2017-2022), a majority of village heads in Patti area, which was represented by Harminder Singh Gill of the Congress, were elected unopposed. This had happened even in 2012-2017 when the segment was represented by Partap Singh Kairon's grandson Adesh Partap Singh Kairon.

'Mohatbars' always had an important role in convincing politicians to meet "their expectations". In exchange, they managed votes for them.

In one of the meetings, Kairon, who represented the constituency in 1956, said he wanted to do something for them. The 'mohatbars' unanimously asked him to get a jail constructed in Patti. Why? Because their folks had to travel long distances to Amritsar for 'mulaqat' (meetings) with their kin lodged in the jail. Travelling to Amritsar jail was a routine affair in the life of people of the area, who did not compromise on their stand on issues they felt from their heart. A shrewd politician as Kairon was, he ordered the construction of a jail in Patti which stands till date.

Though evolution is a continuous process and people do change, it seems unbelievable that people of this area have become so peaceful that they do not even contest panchayat elections and prefer to choose the village head unanimously.

Considering the fact that all 72 villages in the subdivision elected their sarpanch unopposed, one can easily feel how their ancestors might have felt.

Currently, the Patti Assembly seat is represented by AAP minister Laljit Singh Bhullar. In sync with its recent history, particularly after the panchayat election process began, Patti is showing immense unanimity. Good or bad? Only God knows.