129-gram panchayat members lose seats over caste certificate issues

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar

A total of 129 gram panchayat members in the district have been disqualified for failing to submit caste validity certificates within the stipulated period. These members were elected from reserved seats in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 elections. Previously, 75 members from three talukas had already been disqualified.

During the 2020-21 Gram Panchayat elections, 617 village panchayats held polls. From October to December 2022, elections were conducted in 217 more villages. The government had mandated that reserved category winners must submit caste validity certificates within 12 months. In Sillod taluka (2020-21 elections), 407 members were elected from reserved seats, but 105 failed to submit certificates. As a result, 69 members were disqualified on March 4. In Kannad taluka (2020-21 elections), out of 80 reserved seat winners, 34 failed to submit the certificates. On March 6, 26 members were disqualified. In Kannad taluka (2022 elections), out of 51 reserved seat winners, 40 did not submit caste validity certificates. Of these, 34 members were disqualified by the District Collector.