Bengaluru:
The second and final phase of voting for Gram Panchayat elections was held in 15 districts of Karnataka today. Voting in the remaining districts was completed last week.
Officially, these elections are not held along party lines, but the ground reality is that political parties not only keep a close eye on the process and results, but also back the candidates, even though they stand as independents.
We went to a government school in Banjarapalya, south of Bengaluru, where voting was taking place. Sudha, a young lecturer said that those elected tend to work for their own benefit and not for society. "It is very important that they serve the society. Good villages mean a good state which means a good country," she said.
Vinita Kapur, who lives in a gated colony in the area, said the Panchayat elections was very important to make people accountable for the areas where they live.
Jagadish, a young student, said he hoped that those who are voted in, would seriously help his village to progress.
50 per cent of the seats were reserved for women; although, pictures of their husbands were also prominently featured on the campaign pamphlets. When we asked locals about it, they said that this was because people recognised the husbands of the candidates and not them.
Another unfortunate feature of the elections was the distribution of cash for votes. Villagers told us that they had received cash from each of the candidates ahead of the election.
Electronic voting machines were used for the first time in some booths in these elections. The state government had made voting compulsory in the elections, although, no action will be taken against those who didn't vote. The rule is being seen as just a bid to encourage voters to get out there and take part.
And like always in Indian elections - the numbers are staggering. More than 5,400 panchayats voted to fill more than 94000 seats.
Counting of votes across districts will be held on June 5.