Alarmed Centre asks Orissa to find solutions

Worried at the election of a large number of Naxalite-supported candidates in the panchayat polls in Orissa,the centre has advised the state government to explore the possibility of countermanding the election of those who have won unopposed by intimidating other candidates

Worried at the election of a large number of Naxalite-supported candidates in the panchayat polls in Orissa,the centre has advised the state government to explore the possibility of countermanding the election of those who have won unopposed by intimidating other candidates.

The Indian Express reported on Thursday that many Maoist-supported candidates or those with known Maoist links have bagged positions in panchayat bodies in Orissa. A large number of them have been elected unopposed,giving rise to apprehension that they won through coercion and intimidation.

The home ministry has told the state government to look for all possible legal solutions to avoid a situation in which Naxalite groups end up grabbing government funds meant for development works,since a large part of these funds are routed through panchayat bodies.

According to initial ministry estimates,at least 14 or 15 of 33 sarpanches heads of panchayats who have been elected unopposed in Naxalism-affected blocks are known supporters of Maoist groups. The ministry has asked the state government to look into the election of others as well. The elections are likely to be completed by the end of this month.

A ministry official conceded that there could be legal problems in countermanding an election just because the candidate has won unopposed and has Maoist links. This can be done only if it is established that the candidate had vitiated the process of election through intimidation. However,countermanding was just one of the possible options to deal with the problem,he said.

The state government can change the norms of funding of development projects so that the money is disbursed to the district administration and not directly to the sarpanches. If even that is not possible,then there is the possibility of disbursing funds through bank cheques instead of cash transfers, the official said.