Forum for Good Governance president M. Padmanabha Reddy, retired bureaucrats R.V. Chandravardan and M.V. Reddy, and Forum Secretary Soma Srinivas Reddy during the press meeting on Tuesday (December 2).
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement
The Forum for Good Governance on Tuesday (December 2) cautioned that the growing trend of unanimous elections secured through coercion, inducements and forced withdrawals poses a serious threat to democratic processes in Gram Panchayat polls.
Speaking at a press meeting held in Hyderabad on Tuesday, members of the organisation said that while Gram Panchayats play a crucial role in grassroots administration, the ongoing election process has increasingly been influenced by political parties and unethical practices. They noted that the elections held in three phases, with all results declared on the same day, could affect voting patterns in later phases and potentially distort outcomes.
Former IAS officer R.V. Chandravadan said political parties had turned sarpanch elections into party-based contests, undermining the spirit of local self-governance. He added that unanimous elections should be based on public free will. Retired bureaucrat M.V. Reddy added that the practice of auctioning posts was dangerous for democracy and excludes disadvantaged communities.
Forum Secretary Soma Srinivas Reddy said that candidates who purchased positions through auctions often failed to serve their villages and were more likely to engage in corrupt practices. Former TGPSC member T. Vivek stressed the need for educated youth to contest and help develop their villages.
Forum president M. Padmanabha Reddy said that although a circular issued by the State Election Commission aimed at curbing forced unanimous polls was a welcome step, it remained insufficient to address the problem fully.
The circular issued by the State Election Commission on November 27 mandates stricter scrutiny of unopposed gram panchayat elections by the Special Monitoring Cell, requiring verification to ensure that withdrawals and unanimous results are free from coercion, inducement or auctioning. It also directs officials to withhold or countermand the election if any irregularities are detected.
He proposed two resolutions for submission to the Commission: counting all three phases of polling on December 17 with results announced on the same day, and keeping unopposed elections in abeyance for a week pending inquiry. If irregularities such as auctions or forced withdrawals were detected, he said, the poll should be countermanded and a repoll ordered.
Published – December 02, 2025 06:09 pm IST
