BJP ‘compelled’ to repeat candidate in Chhota Udepur
Amid brewing rebellion in the unit against the repeat of outgoing president Malka Patel, the party stated that it was "compelled" to repeat the "lone woman BJP candidate from the general category" who fits the bill.
3 min read
The party declared names for the top posts in the district Panchayat as well as the six taluka panchayats — Chhota Udepur, Bodeli, Sankheda, Naswadi, Jetpur and Kawant of the district — handing over the mandates to allow the leaders to file the mandatory nomination for the elections to be held Thursday.
In contrast to the much-hyped “no-repeat” policy of the BJP ahead of the elections to the top posts of the local bodies in Gujarat for the second half of the five-year tenure, the party has repeated its sitting president in the Chhota Udepur district panchayat owing to reservation for a woman candidate from the general category.
Amid brewing rebellion in the unit against the repeat of outgoing president Malka Patel, the party stated that it was “compelled” to repeat the “lone woman BJP candidate from the general category” who fits the bill.
On Wednesday, Patel filed her nomination with the Chhota Udepur district development officer even as 24 members of the party submitted a representation after the reservation was declared in August seeking a change.
A senior party leader from Central Gujarat said, “The party has announced a no-repeat policy but it cannot be against the stipulated and mandatory reservations announced in seats. The Chhota Udepur district Panchayat had Malka Patel as the president for the first half of the five-year term and she had to be re-elected as we do not have any other woman candidate from the general category. It was compulsion.”
Patel, a member of the district Panchayat from the Parveta seat of Sankheda taluka, was an Anganwadi worker before contesting her maiden local body polls in 2020. The party has declared a mandate for Ranjit Muvariya Bhil for the post of vice-president and Sharmila Rathwa as the chairman of the executive body of the district panchayat.
Aruna Tadvi has been given a mandate to be the Leader of the Ruling Party and Suresh Rathwa will be the Whip of the district Panchayat. As there are no other contestants to the post, Patel will formally be declared the uncontested president Thursday.
On August 31, 24 members of the BJP-administered district Panchayat had submitted a representation to the party stating that they were “unhappy with the sitting president” and “she should not be repeated” due to the reservation. Instead, the representation stated, the party must find a “suitable woman from ST, SC or even OBC category” to continue in the second half of the five-year term.
The party declared names for the top posts in the district Panchayat as well as the six taluka panchayats — Chhota Udepur, Bodeli, Sankheda, Naswadi, Jetpur and Kawant of the district — handing over the mandates to allow the leaders to file the mandatory nomination for the elections to be held Thursday.
In Vadodara, the party declared its mandate for leaders for the post of president and vice-president of district Panchayat as well as eight taluka Panchayats, including Vadodara, Karjan, Savli and Waghodia. The Vadodara district Panchayat will see outgoing president of the BJP, Ashok Patel, handing over the charge to Gayatri Mulrajsinh Mahida, who belongs to the general category (female) according to the reservation for the seat for the second half of the tenure. The BJP has 27 out of 34 members of the Vadodara district panchayat making it a cake walk for a candidate nominated by the party.
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