Tamil Nadu: Villupuram Collector Orders Inquiry Into Alleged Auctioning Of Panchayat President Posts

The Collector also said that strict action will be taken on those who are trying to subvert the democratic process. 

Villupuram Collector Addressing The Villagers | Credit: ABP Nadu

Chennai: Villupuram district administration ordered a detailed probe into the alleged auctioning of the Panchayat president post in a panchayat of the district on Saturday. The move follows allegations and reports of Collectors seeking to conduct a probe in Ponnankuppam of Villupuram and Sitheri of Dharmapuri panchayats for allegedly auctioning the panchayat posts. 

According to a report on The Hindu, there were reportedly attempts to auction the panchayat president posts, reserved for SC women, in Ponnankuppam panchayat under Gingee block.

Ponnankuppam has another hamlet Thuthipet within Ponnankuppam and the village elders of Thuthipet allegedly called a meeting on Saturday to select the candidate. They decided that a candidate will be chosen based on the highest bidding amount and the initial amount was fixed at Rs 13 lakh. However, Ponnankuppam residents allegedly opposed the move and emphasized promoting the candidates from their village for the president post. 

Based on the information, the Collected visited the villages and conducted an inquiry. The police have also started to probe into the event. 

The Collector also said that strict action will be taken on those who are trying to subvert the democratic process. 

Similarly, there were attempts to auction the Panchayat President post in Sitheri. Five candidates from the panchayat proposed to file their nominations and the village leaders decided to give the seat to the person bidding the highest. However, the youth in the village opposed the move and filed a complaint with the Revenue authorities.

The Local Body Polls in the nine newly-formed districts are set to be conducted in two phases on October 6 and 9.