Maha: CPI(M) Makes Headway in Gram Panchayat Polls in Palghar and Other Districts
Prachi Hatiwlekar
THE CPI(M) made some headway in the limited gram panchayat elections held in Maharashtra on November 5, 2023. The results were declared next day on November 6. The sarpanch is now elected in the state through direct elections, with the whole village voting. Besides that, gram panchayat members are elected from various wards in the village. The CPI(M) won a total of 11 sarpanches and 133 gram panchayat members in these polls.
The CPI(M) won the posts of 8 out of 13 sarpanches and 100 out of 167 gram panchayat seats in the Talasari and Dahanu tehsils of Palghar district. Both these tehsils make up the Dahanu (ST) state assembly constituency (Jawhar-ST before delimitation), which the CPI(M) has won 9 out of 10 times in the assembly elections since 1978. The other speciality of this constituencyis that five different candidates of the CPI(M) have won from here. The most remarkable victor from here has been the veteran Party and AIKS leader Lahanu Kom, who is now 85 years old and still reasonably active. He won the Dahanu ST parliament seat in 1977 and the MLA seat here three times in 1980, 1985 and 1990. The current MLA is the young Party state secretariat member and CITU state secretary Vinod Nikole.
The CPI(M) won 2 Sarpanches and 13 gram panchayat seats in Ambegaon and Junnar tehsils of Pune district; 1 Sarpanch and 15 gram panchayat seats in Majalgaon tehsil of Beed district; and 5 gram panchayat seats in Ramtek and Hingna tehsils of Nagpur district.
The CPI(M) sarpanches elected in the Talasari tehsil are as follows: 1. Kavada: Darshana Bodhale (W), 2. Karajgaon: Sangeeta Dhodade (W), 3. Udhva: Nirmala Farle (W), 4. Kurze: Vijay Bhoye, 5. Uplat: Pravin Bamaniya.
The CPI(M) sarpanches elected in the Dahanu tehsil are as follows: 6. Sogve: Lahani Dauda (W), 7. Modgaon: Ranjana Choudhary (W), 8. Kinhavli: SheluDumada (W).
The number of CPI(M) gram panchayat members elected in Talasari tehsil village-wise are: 1. Udhva: 14/17, 2. Uplat: 13/17, 3. Kurze: 11/13, 4. Vevji: 9/17, 5. Kavada: 8/13, 6. Karajgaon: 7/11, 7. Ghimaniya: 3/11.
The number of CPI(M) gram panchayat members elected in Talasari tehsil village-wise are: 8. Sogve: 8/9, 9. Kinhavali: 8/11, 10. Ambesari: 7/13, 11. Modgaon: 6/13, 12. Jambugaon: 3/13
13. Gangangaon: 3/9.
SOME HIGHLIGHTS IN PALGHAR DISTRICT
Kavada village in Talasari tehsil has been a stronghold of the CPI(M) although it has been the village of deceased former BJP MP Chintaman Vanaga, and his son Srinivas Vanaga, who is the current MLA from the Palghar (ST) assembly seat of the Shiv Sena (now defected to the Shinde group). The BJP made all efforts to dislodge the CPI(M) here, but failed miserably.
Karajgaon in Talasari tehsil is another traditional village of the CPI(M), which we had lost narrowly to the BJP in the last elections. After a spirited fightback, the Party regained it this time. This is the village of Party district secretariat member, AIDWA CEC member and the current Talasari Tehsil panchayat samiti chairperson, Sunita Shingda. The day after the results, her husband and a dedicated Party activist Jayesh Shingda and her son Sahil were severely beaten up by the frustrated BJP goons. Large protest demonstrations were held and a police case was lodged against the BJP goons.
Sogwe village in Dahanu tehsil has also been a traditional bastion of the CPI(M). Here the BJP has also been trying various disruptive tactics for long. But fighting against all that, CPI(M) state committee member and AIDWA state vice president Lahani Dauda was elected sarpanch with a big majority, and 8 out of 9 seats were also won by the CPI(M).
On November 16, a large gathering of all the winning candidates and also the Party activists who played a crucial part in their victory was held at the district Party office in Talasari, the Comrade Godavari Shamrao Parulekar Bhawan. Here all of them were warmly felicitated by CPI(M) Central Committee member and AIDWA general secretary Mariam Dhawale, state secretariat members Kisan Gujar, Vinod Nikole, MLA, district secretary Kiran Gahala, Talasari tehsil secretary Laxman Dombre, Dahanu tehsil secretary Radka Kalangda, and other district committee leaders. Thane-Palghar districts have relatively strong units of the AIKS, CITU, AIDWA, DYFI and SFI. All their activists also played an important part in this victory.
DISTRICT PUNE
In the Ambegaon tehsil of Pune district, Laxman Mawale was elected sarpanch of Patan village, and in the Junnar tehsil, Ganesh Marade was elected sarpanch of Sangnore village. 13 gram panchayat members were elected in 10 villages.
Work in the rural areas of Pune district has been growing steadily through the medium of the AIKS and the SFI. Along with agitational activities, the holding of various imaginative constructive programmes is a special feature of the rural areas of Pune district.
DISTRICT BEED
In Majalgaon tehsil of Beed district, Janabai Gulab Jadhav (W) was elected sarpanch of the Barbhai Tanda village, and seven gram panchayat members were elected from there. Seven gram panchayat members were elected in Talkhed village, and one in Takarwan village.
Beed district has active units of the AIKS, AIAWU, CITU, SFI and DYFI. Along with the Party, all of them played a good role in this victory.
DISTRICT NAGPUR
Two gram panchayat members were elected in the Soneghat village of Ramtek tehsil of Nagpur district, and three gram panchayat members were elected in the Ghodeghat village of Hingna tehsil. Victories in the latter village were due to the recently increased work of the AARM and the AIKS in this area.
