The district collector recently issued an order that disqualifies 368 candidates from the district who participated in the gram panchayat elections, preventing them from contesting any future elections for a duration of five years. The announcement has stirred up controversy among village leaders and locals alike.
In eight talukas of the district, the gram panchayat elections were conducted on September 18, 2022, and the outcomes were declared the next day. The Election Commission has mandated that every candidate must submit an expenditure account to the Election Department within 30 days of the result declaration. Failure to do so will lead to disqualification for five years, according to Section 14B of the Maharashtra Gram Panchayat Act of 1959.
A total of 138 candidates in the district failed to submit their election expenses to the election department within the given time frame. On May 9, the District Collector, Abhijit Raut, issued an order disqualifying these candidates from contesting elections for the next five years. This order has created unrest in the rural areas.