Banaskantha: Along with over 8,000 Gram Panchayats across Gujarat, 617 Gram Panchayats in Banaskantha are also witnessing elections, many of which have gone uncontested. Voting will be held on June 22. However, a controversy has emerged regarding the Hasanpur village Panchayat seat in Vadgam taluka, which has a population of over 3,000.

Yesterday was the last day for filing nominations; however, not a single form was submitted. The villagers have decided to boycott the elections, alleging that the seat has been reserved for the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (OBC) for the past two terms. Today, a large group of villagers submitted a memorandum to the Additional Collector, putting forth three key demands: change the OBC-reserved seat, cancel the Scheduled Tribe seat in Ward No. 1, and rectify errors in ward formation.

In Hasanpur village of Vadgam taluka, around 80% of the population belongs to the Muslim community, 10% are Dalits, and the remaining 10% belong to other communities. The villagers allege that the Sarpanch seat has been reserved for the OBC category for two consecutive terms. In protest, they gathered in large numbers today and submitted a memorandum to the Additional Collector, announcing their decision to boycott the election.

According to the villagers, only two houses belonging to OBC families exist in the village, and those families have not lived there for the past 17 years. They demand that the seat be reallocated to another community.

One of the villagers said, “There are several problems in our village, and our main concern is about the Sarpanch seat, which has been reserved for a single community. There are about 35 Dalit families here, with roughly 200 votes, yet we are not given SC reservation benefits.”

In response, the Additional Collector said, “The villagers presented their demands today and submitted an application. I will have the matter investigated. Further action will be taken based on the findings.”