Tarn Taran Diary: Jodhpur villagers use NOTA to make clear their choice
The residents of Jodhpur village have expressed their resentment against the alleged discriminatory and indifferent attitude of the administration by using the NOTA button in large numbers in the recently held panchayat elections. The act of the residents has put the state government and the administration in a spot. Jodhpur is the second village in Punjab to have come into limelight for using the NOTA option to express their grievances. Situated near Tarn Taran city, Jodhpur is a village with a population of about 2,000 and 1,450 votes. Most residents belong to the downtrodden sections of society and are either daily wagers or workers in one or the other commercial establishment. In the recently concluded panchayat elections, the post of the Sarpanch was reserved for women candidates from the Scheduled Caste category. Three of the candidates — Balwinder Kaur, Rani and Raj Kaur — filed their nomination papers. Rani was a candidate close to the ruling AAP while Balwinder Kaur was given support by a section of the residents. Raj Kaur, wife of Shankar Singh, a daily wager, who was known for his cordial relations with all, managed to attract most residents at the very beginning. This was not tolerated by most so-called top leaders of the village. The nomination papers of Raj Kaur were rejected. The residents under the leadership of Ajit Singh, president of the village Gurdwara Committee, Heera Singh, Satnam Singh, former Sarpanch, Kuldeep Singh, Sohan Singh, Jaswant Singh, Harjinder Singh, Manjit Singh and Manjit Kaur held a meeting and decided to protest against the discriminatory attitude of the administration, allegedly at the behest of the political bosses. The leaders said that the residents of the village were already wary of the administration as the post of Sarpanch has been reserved for members of the Scheduled Caste community for the last four terms (more than 20 years) which was in no way a set norm as after one time the post is reserved for the General category candidates. Moreover, no Sarpanch from the SC community was allowed to work and used to be replaced by the administration to use grants at the wishes of the officials and the politicians concerned. As a result, there was no sign of development in the village. Filthy water emanates a foul smell in the village as there is no system for disposal. The condition of the streets and link roads has deteriorated. A team led by Ajit Singh, Heera Singh and others decided in a meeting to approach the residents to use the NOTA button to express their resentment over the discrimination by the administration. Balwinder Kaur got 271 votes and Rani got 247 but NOTA managed to get 368 votes, rejecting both the candidates. The people were happy that they had won the first battle and can now raise the common issues of the residents. They said that the link road that approaches the main Tarn Taran road is no less than a kutcha road. The unity has become an example for other residents of the area too. The people were waiting for the re-election of the Sarpanch as most members of the panchayat have been elected in the polls. The village has become a unique example in itself not only in the district but in the state too. Besides Jodhpur, there is another village in Patiala area where voters used the NOTA button in large numbers.
DTF alleges lapses in polling process
Tarn Taran remained in the news for violence during the panchayat election and other lapses. The Democratic Teachers’ Front (DTF) had urged the administration to make proper arrangements against the possibility of violence. Partap Singh Thathgarh, district president of DTF and other leaders, said that the lapses seen in the elections had never come to light previously. The leaders said the election material was delivered to the polling parties till late at night, day before the elections, and there was no arrangement for food for the polling parties at the polling stations. The leaders alleged that at certain polling stations, the counting process was deliberately delayed till midnight. The DTF has demanded a probe in all the lapses to improve the process in future. The leaders said that the district administration and the Election Commission were equally responsible for the lapses. The leaders said that the firing incidents that took place at certain places badly terrorised the polling staff.
Contributed by Gurbaxpuri
