DW BUREAU / Chandigarh

The stage is all set for a big celebration of democracy in Punjab as Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann will administer the oath of office to newly elected sarpanches at a function in Ludhiana on Friday, an official statement said.

This is the first-of-its-kind function organised by the state government to strengthen democracy at the grassroots, it said.

In the recently-concluded polls, 13,147 sarpanches of Gram Panchayats have been elected in 23 districts, out of which the newly elected 10,031 sarpanches of 19 districts will be administered oath at the function by the Chief Minister.

The oath-taking ceremony of other newly elected sarpanches of the remaining four districts -- Muktsar Sahib, Hoshiarpur, Barnala and Gurdaspur -- and of 81,808 newly elected panches of 23 districts will be held after the by-elections of four Vidhan Sabha constituencies -- Giddarbaha, Chabewal, Barnala, and Dera Baba Nanak.

According to the statement, the state government set a benchmark for conducting free, fair and transparent polls in the recently concluded panchayat elections, which were contested by the candidates without party symbol. The government took this decision to debar the candidates from contesting elections on party symbols in larger public interests, it said, adding that this move has been aimed at removing groupism in villages, thereby ensuring holistic development of the rural areas.

Through this initiative, the government intends to strengthen the Panchayati Raj system thereby giving a major push to the development of villages, the statement said.

In another significant move during the run-up for polls, the Chief Minister had urged the people to rise above the parochial considerations and elect their sarpanches unanimously to strengthen the ethos of harmony and brotherhood in villages on one hand and ensure their comprehensive development on the other. Giving an affirmative response to this call, the panchayats of 3,037 were selected unanimously as Ferozepur district took the lead by selecting 336 panchayats unanimously followed by Gurdaspur (335) and Tarn Taran (334).

Meanwhile, the government has made elaborate arrangements for making this event a huge success as thousands of people are expected to attend this event.

He said that no stone has been left unturned for facilitating the people adding that a proper mechanism has been evolved to ensure that people do not face any sort of inconvenience. Bhagwant Singh Mann said that right from traffic diversion, parking of vehicles and other facilities, the officers have been directed to ensure foolproof arrangements for this mega event.
(editor@dailyworld.in)