Women in command vow to transform Bathinda villages

In a wave of political change across the district, newly elected young women sarpanches are taking up leadership roles with ambitious plans to uplift their communities. As many as 162 of the 316 panchayats in the district now have women sarpanches.

Determined to bring a change, these women are focusing on addressing key issues such as education, sanitation, infrastructure development and empowerment of marginalised groups.

One of the key promises made by these sarpanches is to improve basic infrastructure in their villages, including upgrading roads, ensuring clean drinking water and enhancing public facilities like schools and community centres. These leaders also aim to promote hygiene and ensure better healthcare.

The young sarpanches, many of whom are well-educated, are also determined to bridge the educational gap by ensuring children, especially girls, go and study in school.

Amandeep Kaur (24) has been elected the sarpanch of Jodhpur Pakhar village. Earlier, her mother Harpal Kaur had filed papers as a candidate for the post, while Amandeep had filed papers as a dummy candidate. During scrutiny, Harpal’s papers were rejected. Amandeep’s nomination papers were accepted, leading to her election.

Shaganpreet Kaur (26) has been elected as the sarpanch of Bhai Rupa Khurd village. She is pursuing MSc from Government Rajindra College and has done BEd as well. She is also the block president of Aam Aadmi Party.

Shaganpreet said, “There are many key issues I am focusing on. These include uplifting the status of women and ensuring better basic amenities in the village. Better drainage, good roads, safe drinking water and cleaning of the village pond will be my priority.”

Residents of Baba Jiwan Singh village have elected 27-year-old Kanchan as the sarpanch. Similarly, Sumanpreet Kaur Sidhu (35) has been elected the sarpanch of Poohli village. She has done BTech in computer science and MA in community education and governance.

While talking to The Tribune, Sumanpreet said, “I was preparing for the civil services when I realised that politicians are the ones who make policies. I decided to take the plunge and got elected as sarpanch. Now, my focus is

on improving drainage facilities besides improving education and medical infrastructure in the village. I will focus on all-round development of my village.”

The election of these young women reflects a broader trend of increasing female participation in rural governance. These newly elected sarpanches vow to fight corruption and ensure that government schemes and funds are utilised transparently and effectively for the betterment of their villages.