Uma’s exit poll: Sack pro-Cong sarpanches, win

Of the 130 sarpanches in the district, alleges the Congress (whose candidate is Satyavrat Chaturvedi), 110 have been threatened with dismissal. The district collector insists that the number is closer to 40.

Enquiries by The Indian Express show that the maximum number of such notices have been served in the Nevari constituency, the only one of the four Tikamgarh Assembly segments currently in Congress hands. According to figures provided by the Sarpanch Sangh and the Janpad (block panchayat) officials here, more than 20 of these sarpanches have switched loyalties.

But the Nevari drama seems to be but the culmination of a process that began elsewhere in the constituency with the resignation of sarpanch Bhagvad Lodhi of Doonda, Uma’s native village. He had defeated Uma’s nephew to become sarpanch. Congress candidate Chaturvedi alleges that he was thrashed and humiliated before being forced to resign. Several residents of Doonda confirm this. ‘‘Bhagvad Lodhi was thrashed, garlanded with shoes and paraded through the village at the behest of Uma’s brother Harbal Prasad Singh before he ‘resigned’,’’ they say.

Several bureaucrats admit that the incident did in fact take place, but not a single eyewitness is willing to go on record. Uma’s brother simply says no such incident took place.

Even Bhagvad says nothing of the sort happened but that he resigned because he is a ‘‘poor man’’. He said he contested against Uma’s nephew because he wanted to work for the public. Doesn’t he want to do that any more? ‘‘Of course I do,’’ Bhagvad says. Then why the resignation? After a long pause, he insists: ‘‘You must write I did so out of my own volition.’’

Raju Nayak is the sarpanch of Karguan and the head of the Sarpanch Sangh for the Nevari block. He was close to Congress MLA Brajendra Singh Rathore until he was threatened with dismissal. ‘‘I received the notice more than two months back and was probably the first one targeted,’’ he says. ‘‘I have now switched over to the BJP.’’

Asked if he was actually backing the BJP wholeheartedly, he laughs. All his closest supporters continue to work for the Congress.

Brajnandan Yadav, another supporter of Rathore, is the vice-president of the Janpad for the Prithvipura block. He says 21 of the 60 sarpanches in his block had been served notices.

A random check in both the blocks bore out what these men said. Every Congress sarpanch contacted by The Indian Express had received such notices, some over the past month. Those with BJP leanings had got off far more easily.

Panihari sarpanch Ramashankar Yadav was issued a notice on April 1 for lapses in construction of the village tank, ‘‘Satyavrat Chaturvedi had come to my house and addressed a meeting just two days before I got the notice,’’ he says.

Gulab Singh Yadav of Atarra was issued a notice on February 20 for lapses in construction of an approach road to the village. ‘‘After I got a notice under Section 40 I was approached by BJP leaders and told matters would be settled if I switched parties.’’ He was dismissed on March 29.

Sarpanch Mahesh Yadav of Sendri village, also a one-time Congress supporter, says he switched sides before the Assembly polls. He escaped the dreaded notice.

The Tikamgarh collector claims the matter is being dealt with by the CEO of the district panchayat. ‘‘To my knowledge, 40 such notices have been issued and five to seven sarpanches have been dismissed,’’ he says.