Defying tradition, dalit candidates in Patiala try luck on general seats

Patiala: Breaking free from age-old shackles of the caste system, dalit candidates in villages of Patiala district are vying to contest the coming panchayat elections on general category seats.

A 24-year-old B Tech graduate, Hardeep Kaur, a dalit is running for the post of sarpanch on a general women’s seat in Palia village under Nabha block.

“Those deprived of jobs are not even allowed to avail themselves of the benefits of MGNREGA, a central scheme for the rural poor. Even small and marginalised farmers are not getting MGNREGA benefits, and the meagre income they earn from working on large landholdings is not enough to make ends meet. I want to ensure that the dalits and labourers get their due rights. I, too, used to work as a frontline supervisor or ‘mate’ under MGNREGA, but I was thrown out on false allegations because I was righteous and fought for the workers’ rights,” Hardeep, who teaches in a school now, said.

Hardeep had raised questions regarding alleged discrepancies during a social audit and helped many villagers get employment under the Centre’s scheme. This made her popular with a section of the village whole-heartedly supporting her nomination. However, her family claims that they are under pressure to make Hardeep withdraw her candidature.

In Babarpur village, Balbir Singh, another dalit, has submitted his nomination alongside two general candidates for the post of sarpanch. He said the village hasn’t enjoyed the reserved status since 2003, and many issues affecting his community remain unaddressed. “For instance, dirty water often enters homes in some places. Despite repeated pleas, drainage pipes have not been installed,” he added.

Sukhwinder Kaur, a dalit candidate from Nohra, tried to file her nomination for sarpanch on a general woman’s seat. However, her nomination papers were allegedly stolen from office. Nabha SDM is looking into the matter. At Ageti, a dalit woman vies for sarpanch.

Patiala district has 1,022 panchayats, with 4,293 nominees for sarpanch and 11,668 for panch. After scrutiny, 390 papers for sarpanch and 718 for panch were rejected. These panchayats fall under 10 blocks — Bhunarheri, Ghanaur, Nabha, Patiala, Patiala (rural), Patran, Rajpura, Samana, Sanaur, and Shambu Kalan — that make up Patiala district.

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Courtesy : TOI

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