Voters in Haryana go for young sarpanches

The first two phases of panchayat polls in Haryana have seen a large number of young sarpanches getting elected, thanks to the educational criteria and other conditions fixed by the State Government for candidates.
According to State Election Commission, the average age of those elected as sarpanch was 34 years, but in Mewat district it was 28 years -- the lowest average age of an elected sarpanch in the state.
An official spokesperson, while stating this here today, said this indicates that there has been an overwhelming response in favour of youths, because of the educational criteria and other conditions fixed by the State Government for a candidate to contest the three-phased elections to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs).

In the first phase of elections to the PRIs, the average age of elected sarpanches was 34 years in Palwal and Kaithal districts, 35 in Gurgaon, Karnal, Kurukshetra, Punchkula and Sirsa districts, 36 in Fatehabad, Hisar, Jind, Mahendergarh, Panipat and Yamunanagar districts, 37 in Ambala, Rewari and Jhajjar districts while 38 years in the districts of Bhiwani, Faridabad, Rohtak, and Sonipat, he said.
In the first phase of PRI polls, the spokesperson said, 1,515 male sarpanch were elected of which the educational qualification of at least 264 was graduation or above. Of these, 23 were from Rewari district, 19 from Ambala, 18 each from Bhiwani and Palwal, 17 from Gurgaon, 16 each from Yamunanagar and Kurukshetra.

He said, at least 344 sarpanches were 10+2 pass, 1552 were 10th pass and 416 Sarpanches were eighth pass.

As many as 1,061 woman sarpanches have been elected in the first phase of the elections, the spokesperson said, of which 92 were from Yamunanagar district, 72 from Kurukshetra, 71 from Rewari, 69 from Bhiwani, 60 each from Karnal and Sirsa, 55 from Palwal, 59 from Kaithal, 53 from Ambala, 52 from Mahendergarh, 50 from Jhajjar, 48 each from Fatehabad and Sonipat, 46 from Faridabad, 45 from Hisar, 40 from Jind, 31 each from Gurgaon and Mewat, 29 from Panipat, 28 from Rohtak and 22 from Panchkula.

He said, in the second phase, the average age of elected sarpanches was 33 in Jind and Palwal districts, 35 in Hisar, Kaithal, Fatehabad and Panipat districts, 36 in Karnal and Rohtak districts, 37 in Ambala, Jhajjar, Mahendergarh, Sirsa and Panchkula districts, 38 in Sonipat, Yamunanagar and Bhiwani districts, 39 in Gurgaon and Kurukshetra districts and 41 in Rewari.
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Spokesman said in the first phase, as many as 1,515 male sarpanch have been elected of 73 from Ambala, 123 from Bhiwani, 70 from Faridabad, 68 from Fatehabad, 44 from Gurgaon, 73 from Hisar, 84 from Jhajjar, 71 from Jind, 72 from Kaithal, 80 from Karnal, 94 from Kurukshetra, 76 from Mahendergarh, 34 from Mewat, 79 from Palwal, 39 from Panchkula, 36 from Panipat, 118 from Rewari, 40 from Rohtak, 69 from Sirsa, 74 from Sonipat and 98 from Yamunanagar.

The spokesman said in the second phase, 219 elected Sarpanches are graduate or above. These included 23 from Ambala, 13 from Bhiwani, five from Fatehabad, 12 from Gurgaon, 11 from Hisar, 10 from Jhajjar, 13 from Jind, six from Kaithal, nine each from Karnal and Kurukshetra, 21 from Mahendergarh, 11 from Mewat, eight from Palwal, two from Panchkula, seven from Panipat, 14 from Rewari, nine from Rohtak, 13 from Sirsa, four from Sonipat and 19 from Yamunanagar.
As many as 243 elected sarpanches were 12th pass, whereas 1165 were 10th pass and 337 were eighth pass.
He said, a total of as 810 woman sarpanches have been elected in the second phase of elections.

Of these, 55 woman sarpanches have been elected from Ambala district, 50 from Bhiwani, 23 from Fatehabad, 54 from Gurgaon, 55 from Hisar, 50 from Jhajjar, 44 from Jind, 29 from Kaithal, 46 from Karnal, 42 from Kurukshetra, 57 from Mahendergarh, 46 from Mewat, 34 from Palwal, 22 from Panchkula, 25 from Panipat, 43 from Rewari, 19 from Rohtak, 39 from Sirsa, 22 from Sonipat and 55 from Yamunanagar.