Nayab Singh Saini and Haryana’s Sarpanches : The trending love affair in Haryana

In Haryana, if you ask someone from the grassroots which election is considered the toughest among all the polls, the answer would be the election of Gram Panchayat or Sarpanch election. The reason behind this is generally stated as the small number of voters voting for few candidates, the caste equations in the villages, the family ties, the neighborhood ties etc, etc. All these reasons together, make the election of the primary unit of governance the toughest in the state. 

The Sarpanches of 7356 villages of Haryana consolidate an enormous vote bank together which any incumbent government, can’t make the mistake of ignoring. Taking a cue from this, Haryana’s CM Nayab Singh Saini, made a slew of announcements for the Sarpanches of Haryana yesterday during the state-level Sarpanch Sammelan and Panchayati Raj event that was held at Kurukshetra University and was attended by Sarpanches from all over the state.

The announcements aimed at strengthening the position of the Sarpanches in Haryana, which most importantly included, the removal of e-tenders for development works by the Sarpacnhes which was considered the main bone of contention between the BJP government and Sarpanches till now. The CM announced that the Sarpanches of Haryana can now carry out development projects in their gram panchayats up to ₹21 lakhs, instead of the current cap of ₹5 lakh, without using an e-tender.

Another notable announcement that brought smiles to the faces of the Sarpanches of Haryana was that the position of Sarpanch will now be listed in the official list of government events that take place in the villages. During such occasions, the DC and SP will sit with the Sarpanch, which is in itself a first attempt to bring the new work culture and empower the heads of grassroots democracy in the state. 

Saini also declared raising the cap on expenses from the panchayat fund for gram panchayat-organized events. The cap will be raised from ₹3,000 to ₹30,000 for activities held in honor of Independence Day, Republic Day, and programs planned for the visitation of any special officer or minister. In addition, Nayab Singh Saini also said that Sarpanches will subsequently be eligible to deduct travel costs when using their vehicle or other mode of transportation for official business at the rate of ₹16 per kilometer. The BDPO will approve the law on TA/DA claims. 

Attacking the previous Congress government, Haryana’s CM said that, “Before 2014, the state finance commission grant for Panchayats was ₹600 crore. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, this grant for Haryana has increased to ₹2,968 crore. Further, ₹7,276.77 crore has been allocated for rural development in the budget for the financial year 2024-25, compared to ₹1,898.48 crore during the year 2013-14 under the previous government”. 

To speed up the development in the villages the CM also announced that the state government has decided to allow unregistered contractors to work up to ₹50 lakhs in a year to speed up development works. If these contractors meet deadlines, they will be qualified to take on projects worth ₹1 crore the following year.

Now, with just 3 months to the state assembly elections in the state, Haryana’s CM is in alpha mode working and traveling in the state. His statement that the doors of the CM office are 24/7, open for the Sarpanches of Haryana, in the desi Karnal-Ambala slang went viral on social media and also made the headlines. Come October, it will be interesting to see how Saini’s attempt to create the bonhomie and woo the Sarpanches of Haryana will pay back and help Saini form the next government or not.