JOIN USPanchayat seat auctions: Going, going, gone for Rs 1 crore!
The auctioning of gram panchayat seats in parts of Tumakuru district would leave the IPL auction in the shade. The panchayat seats in the district are being auctioned off to highest bidders in violation of the People’s Representation Act. A few GP seats are said to have ‘sold’ for Rs 1 crore.
One such GP seat at Bettahalli in Paduvagere Gram Panchayat limits under Amruturu hobli of Kunigal taluk was sold for Rs 1 crore in an open auction held recently.
A businessman from Bengaluru has bought the seat for the astronomical sum (considering the fact that it was for a panchayat seat). The person in question had reportedly told the villagers that he would give more, post-election.
A local leader, on the condition of anonymity, told DH that the money would be used for renovation of Anjaneya Swamy temple and for development works in the village.
A stern warning issued by the state election commission against the auctioning of GP seats has failed to deter the villagers from ‘selling’ the panchayat seats for huge sums.
With December 11 being the last date for filing of nominations for the first phase of GP polls, scheduled for December 27, the bidding process has gathered steam in the last two to three days in several villages of Kunigal taluk, where the panchayat membership is sold for a few lakhs.
Three seats at Kadumattikere in Kittanamangala GP went for Rs 12 lakh, Rs 11.75 lakh and Rs 1.45 lakh. Likewise, a panchayat seat in Sondekoppa was auctioned off for Rs 16 lakh and two Chowdanakuppe GP seats sold for Rs 5 and Rs 3 lakh.
The trend is fast catching up with border villages of Pavagada taluk. Three seats of Chikkahalli in Nagalapura GP combined comes with a price tag of Rs 20.6 lakh.
‘Nothing wrong’
The highest bidders will be elected unopposed, provided if they pay the bid amount before the filing of nomination. If they fail to do so, then the next highest bidder will be allowed to file nomination. If in case a villager contests the election after the auctioning of seat, he will have to face the boycott.
Defending the sale of panchayat seats, a leader from Kittanamangala told DH, “The money received from the auctioning of panchayat seats will be used for development works of the village. This process will prevent groupism and political rivalry, which is common in many villages during the elections.