Political parties now focus on GP polls

Though the Gram Panchayat elections are fought without any party symbols, the political parties are engaged in various exercises to ensure that candidates, associated with their party, emerge as winners in the Gram Panchayat elections.

All three major political parties have taken the Gram Panchayat elections as the battle for their prestige.

The GP polls will be held in two phases. In the first phase, elections will be held for Gram Panchayats in Madikeri and Somwarpet. Only two days are left for filing nominations and the political activities have gained momentum in the villages.

As having more Gram Panchayat members supported by a party is considered to be a boost to strengthening the party at the grassroots level, it also helps the political parties to have an advantage in winning the next Assembly and Parliamentary elections.

The BJP had already organised Gram Swaraj in Ponnampet and had directed its party cadres to ensure the victory of the candidates it supports.

In the previous elections, about 53% of the BJP supported candidates had won the GP polls, according to BJP leaders.

“This year, we want about 80% of the supported candidates to win the election,” said BJP leaders.

On the other hand, even JD(S) and Congress are also striving to strengthen the party at the grassroots level.

Having realised that they cannot win elections at the ward-level by making use of the national and state-level leaders, the political parties are now eyeing social workers who had responded to the woes of people on roads, streetlights and garbage issues locally.

The political parties are supporting them in contesting the election.

There are 104 Gram Panchayats in Kodagu district. The elections will be held for 101 Gram Panchayats. The term of Ponnampet, Gonikoppa and Chennayyanakote Gram panchayats is yet to end.

As the Gram Panchayat polls are nearing, the aspirants are getting ready to contest the election.

There is a stiff fight in Suntikoppa Gram Panchayat. Some party workers have already joined other political parties when they failed to get the support of the party which they had been supporting all these years to contest the elections.

Kodagu district BSP unit president Rafeeq of Suntikoppa and Nagesh Poojary, who was serving as Saha Pramukh of BJP Shakthi Kendra in Suntikoppa, have joined the Congress.

B D Raju Rai, who had served the JD(S) for the last eight years has joined SDPI recently.

JD(S) district unit president K M B Ganesh said that the JD(S) is making all preparations to ensure the victory of candidates supported by it.

“We want JD(S) supported candidates to win in at least 40 Gram Panchayats in the district,” he said.