Power, police & revenue dept: How to become a Sarpanch
‘Sarpanch Sahab’ is how people usually address those who have won a panchayat election. Even their family is often addressed as “Sarpancha da Tabar” (Family of Sarpanches). And this title does not come easy. It is about personal relations, familial ties and money.
When it comes to money, aspirants don’t hesitate to spend exorbitant amounts. Sustaining a fortnight-long election campaign for the post of village Sarpanch in a village with 1500 voters could cost anything between Rs 20 lakh to Rs 40 lakh. The overall budget of the election campaign depends on the economic status of the opponent. An election battle between two rich and egoistic Jats or even non-Jat candidates could be even more costly.
In a village where everybody knows everybody, rural political pundits are able to predict the outcome of the election even more accurately than Prashant Kishor.
If an aspirant is not sure of his victory, it is now that he seeks to become cosier with the local MLA or halqa incharge of the ruling party. The aspirant is clearly aware that the said MLA or halqa incharge has a ‘magic wand’ which he can use in the BDPO office to ensure that he gets elected unopposed. But this definitely means that the Sarpanchi comes with a price.
The first battle for any aspirant is to ensure that he gets a chance to contest. A good start is half done -- a large number of Sarpanches get elected unopposed just because the clerks at the BDPO office are really good at finding fault with the nomination papers of other applicants. They are also good in ensuring that the candidates do not get No Objection receipts for taxes such as “chulha tax” which most residents have never even heard of.
Once an aspirant has won this battle, the next task is to woo the “floating vote”, i.e, woo that section of society which is not directly related to any of the candidates through blood ties or close friendships. Every weapon known to Kautilya -- saam, daam, dand, bhed -- is used to ensure that people from this “floating vote” section remain happy till the day of the election.
It’s obvious that to become a Sarpanch, the aspirant must be ready to fulfil all the demands coming from his constituents. What is not so obvious is the kind of demands on the spectrum – from financial assistance for a medical emergency, marriage of a daughter, adequate quantities of the local brew, requirement for dry or green fodder, some cash on credit, getting a drug peddler or a petty thief off the hook, or the use of a tractor, trolley or plough.
Fact is, people in rural Punjab need to deal with three government departments – the police, the power corporation and the revenue department.
Let’s start with the police. Now it’s not as if the police knocks on your door only when you have done something wrong. And if the cops have knocked at your door and you have done nothing wrong, the Sarpanch is expected to make negotiations with them on your behalf. If the Sarpanch fails and his opponent does a better job, you will obviously support him in the next elections.
Next is the Power Corporation. The incumbent Sarpanch must ensure that his constituent’s ‘kundi’ connection is not disturbed. As for the revenue department, which basically means the Patwari and the Tehsildar, if you don’t keep him on your right side, he may just make sure that a cop knocks on your door, a junior engineer penalizes you for power theft or a Patwari makes some trouble for you.
In all these cases, you need someone who can negotiate on your behalf. Remember nothing comes for free. Moreover, now you even owe your vote and support to the person who has helped you.
As far as issues like ‘gali’ and ‘naali’ are concerned, these privileges are first made available to supporters. Every voter knows that his ‘chacha’ or ‘taya’s beta’ or any other cousin will first prefer his own over others in granting these privileges.
You may now ask, in the end, so what does a Sarpanch get -- of course he is doing a tough job, as appeasing people is the most difficult thing to do.
First, he gets the title. He gets the authority. And then he gets control over village resources and grants issued by the government. At the very least he gets a chance to recover his investment, especially if he has “auctioned” himself to the highest bidder as has been done across Punjab in the last few days – and, perhaps, even earn a profit.
Best of all, he gets a chance to meet and greet the MLA, who, in turn, can bank on him to ensure that his party gets the maximum votes from the village in question in the next elections. The MLA may even leave the political door slightly ajar so as to notify the Sarpanch that there are posts to be filled in the Block Samiti and Zila Parishad.
Imagine being addressed as ‘Sarpanch sahab’, a moniker that is better than anything and everything. Everyone knows that the captain of the Indian hockey team Harmanpreet Singh is also nicknamed ‘Sarpanch saab’ by his team mates; even Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann called him that when he met him recently. If the aspirant wins and gets elected in the poll that will be held soon, he may even be addressed by the same name.
