Cong slams proposed zila panchayat reservation, alleges ‘bias' to block rivals; BJP replies
Objections to the proposal have been invited between Aug 2 and 4, with a final decision expected on Aug 6. According to the proposed list, the zila panchayat seats of Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Nainital, and Champawat have been left unreserved, while Tehri, Pauri, Dehradun, Rudraprayag, and Almora are reserved for women. Udham Singh Nagar is reserved for OBC, Bageshwar for SC women, and Pithoragarh for SC candidates.
Congress veteran and six-time MLA Pritam Singh, whose son Abhishake Singh recently won as a zila panchayat member from Dehradun, strongly objected to the reservation of Dehradun for women, effectively disqualifying his son from contesting.
He alleged that the ruling "BJP manipulated the process" to prevent Abhishake from running.
"Since the beginning of the panchayat poll process, the govt made several attempts to use power to its advantage, it even tried to misuse the reservation of seats. People had approached the court," Singh said.
Dehradun's current zila panchayat chairperson Madhu Chauhan, wife of BJP MLA Munna Singh Chauhan, has held the post since 2019 and is a strong contender again.
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"To stop my son, the govt has committed wrongdoing in the reservation process. But Congress members must not lose hope—we have the support of Uttarakhand's people. We will not accept this reservation," Singh said.
Former CM Harish Rawat extended his support and "warned the govt to "correct the mistake before it's too late". Rawat alleged that the BJP was weaponising reservation to target a specific individual, undermining its constitutional purpose.
Sharing his views on social media, Rawat wrote, "Power and politics must understand that reservation is a right, not a weapon. This constitutional right is granted to promote social justice and harmony. Unfortunately, the authorities in Uttarakhand are using reservation to settle scores with political opponents and for personal gain. We have consistently observed that the BJP is using this sacred right for unholy political purposes in municipal and rural council elections.
Had the reservation for district councils been announced along with others, many candidates might have reconsidered their decision to run for election."
Meanwhile, BJP media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan told TOI, "After seeing the result, the Congress members are scared. People have once again voted against them. Let me remind them that the proposed reservation list has been announced based on the Panchayati Raj rules framed by the Congress govt back in 2016. Now they are opposing it, which is quite hilarious."
He added that it was not the final list and the Congress could file objections to any seat they wanted. "But instead, they are choosing to give false and misleading statements in the media rather than submitting their objections," he said.
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