No SP trick will work as gram pradhans will remain administrators: Rajbhar

Lucknow: UP panchayati raj minister and Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief OP Rajbhar on Thursday took a swipe at the Samajwadi Party, saying that no matter how many tricks the opposition party tries, gram pradhans would remain the administrators until the next panchayat elections.

“Kitni bhi tikram laga lijiye... Pradhanji hi pradhan (administrator) rahenge.,” Rajbhar posted on X. His statement came a day after Allahabad high court sought the report of govt formed Backward Class Commission and directed the state election commission to clarify the status of the proposed election schedule.

The HC order came on a PIL challenging govt decision to appoint incumbent village heads (gram pradhans) as administrators after the end of their tenure on May 26. The next hearing is on July 10.

“Let alone the legislative assembly, you won’t even be able to win the panchayat elections anymore,” Rajbhar said while referring to SP.

On May 26, UP govt issued an order appointing outgoing village pradhans as administrators of gram panchayats until new bodies were formed, or for a maximum period of six months. The pradhans will be permitted to carry out only routine and day-to-day functions and will not be allowed to take any policy decisions.

Sources said the panchayat elections were bound to be delayed, even as state govt waited for the backward class commission report on reservation of OBCs in the state. Accordingly, steps vis-a-vis voter list revision would be taken before eventually holding the gram panchayat elections.

“It is the most appropriate arrangement as per the emerging situation. Gram pradhan is an elected representative of the people. There should be no problem in him/her continuing to administer the village units,” said UP BJP vice-president Vijay Bahadur Pathak.

Analysts said BJP is seeking to leverage benefits by supporting gram pradhans, irrespective of their political affiliations. Gram pradhans elections are not held on party symbols.

The Samajwadi Party has called govt decision “undemocratic”. “This has been mainly done to ward off anti-incumbency spiralling out beyond villages and impacting BJP’s poll prospects in the forthcoming assembly elections,” said SP spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi.

Observers said BJP is treading cautiously, even as supporting the incumbent gram pradhans meant annoying their opponents in the fiercely contested village polls.