Civil society alliance to field 2,000 candidates in panchayats

C Shivakumar
Chennai:

In a bid to empower the grassroot democracies, an alliance of civil society is planning to field candidates in 2,000 panchayats across the state.



Convenor of Tamil Nadu non-governmental alliance M Jeeva told Express on Saturday that the alliance will be fielding candidates at the 2,000 panchayats and is now launching a campaign for supporting the candidates and monitoring fair and free elections.



The state has 12,524 panchayats and the election is likely to be scheduled on October 2011. Interestingly, the panchayats have come down from 12,618 due to its merger with corporation or susburbs. However, the wards have increased from 40,000 to one lakh.



The alliance, which has 200 members of the civil society and includes people’s movements, youth associations, women and dalit outfits and consumer organisations, will take the campaign across the state by holding district level meetings besides calling for the need to monitor electoral rolls, said Jesurethinam, a member of the Law Trust.



Stressing on the need for more powers to the grassroot democracies, the civil society members also said that though the 74th amendment is introduced in the state, the panchayats are functioning without powers.



“Political parties are unwilling to give power to panchayats. But in neighbouring state Kerala, a panchayat president is more a chief minister of his panchayat,” said Jesurethinam.



In Kerala, the district planning committee is popular and the planning is done from the grassroot level and we have even suggested the model to Tamil Nadu rural development minister KP Munusamy, she said.



Jeeva said Kerala is providing 40 to 50 per cent of its revenue expenses for panchayats while in Tamil Nadu it is only 10 per cent.



He also said the alliance is meeting the Election commission next week to insist that same mechanisms be followed during the last polls to conduct it peacefully.



Jeeva said the campaign will ensure that maximum extent of benami candidates for the post of wards and village panchayats are not made to stand for election by dominant caste, male members of the family and political parties.