UPSC Darpan

SocietyGS130 September 2026

Some Maharashtra villages have not voted in panchayat polls for 60–70 years

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The news

Pune. In parts of rural Maharashtra, gram panchayat members have been chosen “unopposed” for as long as 70 years, bypassing the ballot. In Angar, Solapur district, no panchayat election has been held in 60 years; when it became a nagar panchayat last year, Prajakta Patil, daughter-in-law of former MLA Rajan Patil, was elected its first president unopposed, amid opponents’ allegations of threats, which the family denies. Perid in Kolhapur, population about 3,000, has not had a contested poll since 1956. Model villages Ralegan Siddhi and Hiware Bazar also favour unanimity, though opposition panels contested in 2021. Analyst Ashok Chousalkar says that in most villages “the dominant political family” decides. Former sarpanch Alka Kamble says reserved seats for Dalit and OBC women go to candidates “who will not raise their voices”. “Unopposed” means declared elected because no rival filed or all withdrew. The link is GS2 local government.

The chain in one line: Elites fear contests split families and waste money → seats are settled before nomination day → one candidate per seat, so no poll → the practice hardens into “tradition” → reserved seats go to compliant nominees

Static syllabus linkage

  1. Part IX makes panchayat elections a constitutional duty. The 73rd Amendment, 1992, added Part IX (Articles 243 to 243-O) and the Eleventh Schedule. Article 243A recognises the gram sabha of all voters in the village; Article 243D reserves seats for SCs and STs in proportion to population and not less than one-third of seats, and of chairpersons’ posts, for women. Article 243E fixes a five-year term, with elections before expiry or within six months of dissolution.
  2. Two State bodies keep panchayats alive: one for elections, one for money. Article 243K vests superintendence of panchayat elections in a State Election Commission appointed by the Governor, removable only like a High Court judge. Article 243I requires the Governor to set up a State Finance Commission every five years to review panchayat finances.

Why UPSC loves this

  1. The question has moved from holding elections to making them real. GS2 asks about “Devolution of powers and finances up to local levels and challenges therein”. Proxy representation and elite capture are now the core challenges beyond the formal mandate.

Prelims nuggets

  • Article 243K: superintendence, direction and control of panchayat elections vests in the State Election Commission, not the Election Commission of India.
  • Article 243D reserves not less than one-third of panchayat seats and chairpersons’ posts for women, including within SC and ST reserved seats.
  • Article 243A provides for the gram sabha, all persons on the village panchayat’s electoral roll.

Analysis

  1. Consensus in deliberation is not the same as consensus in choosing rulers. A gram sabha that argues until it agrees on a watershed is healthy, as Hiware Bazar shows. Choosing who holds power is different: the secret ballot lets a person who cannot object in public object in private. A seat settled before nomination day removes that one hidden moment. The counter-view, that contests breed feuds and cost money, argues for cleaner contests, not none.
  2. Lens — Growth and equity: the village’s harmony is paid for by its weakest members. Reservation under Article 243D guarantees that a Dalit or OBC woman holds the seat, not that she speaks. If the dominant family picks a compliant nominee, the seat is filled and its purpose defeated. A thoughtful officer would judge unanimity by who proposed the name, not by the absence of a rival.
  3. The State Election Commission can protect the choice to contest, not force a contest. An unopposed return is lawful, so the Commission cannot order a poll where no one files. It can make coercion costly: record withdrawals, enquire into threats, and publicise that anyone may file. NITI Aayog’s September 28 “Viksit Panchayat” workshop on Gram Panchayat Development Plans, per a PIB release, assumes a real gram sabha; without contested voice, the plan is the dominant family’s.

Possible Mains question

Unopposed gram panchayat elections are often presented as a sign of village harmony. Examine this claim with reference to the representation of women and marginalised groups. (10 marks, 150 words)

Model approach

  1. Directive — Examine. Test the claim on one dimension, representation.
  2. Introduction — Maharashtra villages with no poll for 60–70 years. Angar and Perid, in 20 words.
  3. Body — consensus can reduce feuds and cost, as model villages show. Ralegan Siddhi and Hiware Bazar decide in the gram sabha.
  4. Body — pre-settled seats hand reserved posts to compliant nominees. Value addition: Article 243D; draw a flow: dominant family → nominee → no poll → silent reserved member.
  5. Conclusion — protect the right to contest. Harmony is genuine only where dissent was free to appear.

Administrator's brainstorm

As District Collector, a Dalit woman tells you she was pressured to withdraw her nomination so the village could stay “unopposed”. What do you do?

The election is under the State Election Commission, so I would forward her recorded statement to it and the Returning Officer at once. I would have the police register any intimidation and protect her, since fear is the mechanism of coerced unanimity. I would also have withdrawals recorded in future. The aim is not to force a contest but to ensure no one is stopped from offering one.