Madhya Pradesh Panchayat Elections In 3 Phases From June 25

The three-tier Madhya Pradesh panchayat polls will be held in three phases - June 25, July 1 and July 8 - and the counting of votes will take place on July 8, 11, 14 and 15, announced State Election Commissioner BP Singh on Friday.

The polls will be held for 22,921 village panchayats [22921 posts of sarpanch and 3,63,726 panchayat members], 6771 members of 313 janpad panchayats and 875 posts of district panchayat members in the 52 districts.

Voting through ballots will take place between 7 am and 3 pm.

"It has been seen that local body polls, particularly in the villages not only lead to competition between candidates, but the contest even turns into conflicts and after the polls are over, such conflicts sometimes turn into violent feuds. In the last panchayat polls, many villages had unanimously decided to elect their sarpanch and panch unopposed.

"Such a harmonious development is possible even in these polls. We've decided to bracket such panchayats this time as Samrasta Panchayats [Harmonious Panchayats] and model villages. All direct beneficiary oriented central and state schemes will be cent percent executed in such villages and all round development of such villages will be ensured to make them model villages of the state," Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

Madhya Pradesh villages that elect their sarpanch unopposed will get Rs 5 lakh, while those villages that elect their sarpanch unopposed for the second time in row will get Rs 7 lakh - this was announced earlier by chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.

Over 3.93 crore total voters, including over 2.03 crore male voters and 1.90 crore plus women voters to exercise franchise at 71,645 polling booths. Urban local bodies polls dates will be announced later.

State government has also decided to return to the system of direct election of mayors and chairpersons of municipalities and sent an ordinance in this regard to Governor Mangubhai Patel for his assent in 16 municipal corporations.

Though Chairpersons in 99 municipalities and 298 town councils in the state will be elected by the corporators.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court instructed the Election Commission to hold panchayat and urban civic body elections in the state with reservation for OBC but with a capping of 50%.