Will Malasa get a Harijan gram pradhan?

Even after three attempts to elect a Harijan Gram Pradhan for Malasa reserve seat of Kanpur Dehat district have fallen flat...

Even after three attempts to elect a Harijan Gram Pradhan for Malasa reserve seat of Kanpur Dehat district have fallen flat, the state Election Commission has for the fourth time announced the election date.

This is mainly due to the Harijans of the area, who have refused to challenge the supremacy of the Thakurs in the village by contesting the elections. As per the notification, the nomination process for the Malasa Gram Pradhan election will be held on December 15 and the verification of the same will be done by December 16.

The candidates can withdraw their nomination by December 17. The polling is scheduled for December 27, with the results being declared on the same day. Of 3,033 residents of Malasa, the Thakurs make up for 1,250 votes. To the much dislike of the Thakurs, the seat was declared as a reserved one before the August 2005 Gram Pradhan elections.

Interestingly, there are only 134 registered Harijans in the electoral list. In the 2005 elections not even a single nomination was filed and it was almost the same scenario in the February 2006 by-polls. Two Harijans, Chandrika Prasad and Lallai came forward to file the nomination papers during the June 2008 by-polls, but finally did not contest. While Lallai could not find a single villager who could propose his name, Prasad withdrew from the polls.

Confident of conducting the elections this time around, Uday Pratap Singh, District Magistrate, Kanpur Dehat, told The Indian Express: 8220;Though we cannot force or ask any person to contest the elections, but we have given our best to ensure that the polls are carried out as per the directives.8221; According to Singh, several rounds of meeting between the prominent Thakurs and the Harijans of the village have been organised to iron out the differences.

8220;Both the groups have been informed about the importance of the elections, and efforts have been put to end the schism between them,8221; he added. Keeping in mind the safety of the likely candidates, security has been tightened in the village. 8220;We are trying to create a healthy environment to minimize the gap between the Thakurs and Harijans of Malasa,8221; Singh said.

On the eve of the elections, prominent Thakurs of Malasa have assured to provide their cooperation in conducting the elections. A senior Thakur resident, Nati Singh said, 8220;It is not that we have prevented any Harijan from contesting the elections, it is the fear within them which has forced them to maintain a distance from these polls.8221;

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The recent meetings with the Harijans have been successful, and this time a Gram Pradhan would definitely be elected, said Nati.

Citing the example of previous elections, Ramesh Singh said, 8220;We had backed Chandrika Prasad, but at the last moment he withdrew his nomination.8221; If a Harijan is willing to contest the elections, the Thakurs would have no problem in voting, he added.

Despite the efforts, the Harijans of the village are reluctant to comment over the issue and are waiting for Monday before taking their final stand on the Gram Pradhan elections.