Orissa: Skirmish for a political seat has always been the tradition of Indian politics. With the advancing time little was it predicted that the occupation for the wellbeing of the citizens would once be sold.
The State Election Commission (SEC), Odisha, Monday sought a report from the district collector of Bolangir under whose vigilance the auction for the post of Sarpanch was held. The auction in Bilesarda gram panchayat came to the fore through media coverage. The auction is reported to have been held on Friday.
A contesting candidate named Susant Chhatria is said to have paid a sum of Rs Rs 44,000 for the development of the Jagannath temple at the village under Puintala block. Sources claim that this donation for the Temple came from the polling candidate on terms of unopposed elections.
It is claimed that the meeting was attended by the heads of three villages- Bandanakata, Kasurpali, and Bileisarda- at the Jagannath temple where the alleged bidding took place. Dinabandhu Gartia, a villager, who attended the meeting, said, “the panchayat elections are being held amid the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic. We thought if we help a candidate to win unopposed, we can prevent gathering and, in the process, we can check the spread of the virus.”
Reportedly out of the four contesting for the post of Sarpanch, Susant Chhatria bid the highest and so was elected the leader.