Bill on indirect poll for sarpanch passed in Maha Assembly

The State Election Commission will be informed that the Maharashtra government had passed a

bill in the Assembly on Tuesday which reverses an earlier decision under which people directly elected the village

sarpanch (headman), state Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif said.

Mushrif said the provisions of the current legislation were modified to ensure smooth functioning of panchayats.

The rule for direct election of sarpanch was brought in by the previous BJP-led Devendra Fadnavis dispensation.

The Fadnavis cabinet had, on July 3, 2017, decided to amend the respective clauses of Maharashtra Gram Panchayat Act

of 1958 to facilitate election of sarpanchs (gram panchayat heads) directly from among the people of the village.

Meanwhile, the SEC has announced polls on March 29 for posts of sarpanch and members in 1,570 gram panchayats in 19

districts of the state. Counting of votes will take place on March 30, the SEC

said. "We will inform the SEC that election for the post of

sarpanch should be through indirect method. This means elected members will choose a sarpanch from among themselves," Mushrif

said.