To begin with, the elections came at a very important juncture. For the two major parties, the BJP and Congress, they are a precursor to what can be expected during the coming Lok Sabha polls. Despite the fact that panchayat elections are not contested on party symbols, both the BJP and the Congress had fielded their “candidates”.

An interesting development this time was the large number of Independents and dissidents who won the elections. This could force the parties to go in for some re-thinking. Although the Congress and BJP had issued repeated warnings to rebels, no harsh action was taken, indicating that each party wants to keep the victorious candidates on its side.

What was remarkable was the large number of women who emerged victorious. For the first time in the state, 50 per cent of the seats were reserved for women. Moreover, there were several women candidates from the remaining seats — general as well as those reserved for Scheduled Tribes and Scheduled Castes. The result: women will now dominate the panchayats in Uttarakhand with over 50 per cent representation.

The increasing role of women in the functioning of grassroot democratic institutions is a progressive development. “Women in the hills have been the economic and social backbone of their families. While the men move to towns and cities in search of employment, it has been the women who have been carrying out agricultural and other activities in the villages,” said senior Congress leader Suryakant Dhasmana.

He added that it would be interesting to analyse how women bring about a balance between their household activities and their new-found political responsibilities. “A larger representation to women in the grassroot democratic institutions was long overdue as women played a major role in the movement for the creation of Uttarakhand. In the existing social chemistry of rural Uttarakhand, the women will be the actual rulers for the first time,” he added.

Interestingly, a large number of political bigwigs successfully fielded their spouses in these elections. These women are strong contenders for the top posts in zila panchayats. For example, Opposition leader Harak Singh Rawat’s wife Deepti Rawat won from Dwaikhal Block in Pauri; former Congress minister Shoorvir Sajwan’s wife Ambika Sajwan won from Hindoli Khal block of Tehri; sitting BJP legislator Munna Singh Chauhan’s wife won from Kalsi block in Dehradun; and Samajwadi Party national general secretary Vinod Barthwal’s wife Abha won from Raipur block in Dehradun. State Sports Minister Rajinder Singh Bhandari’s wife Rajni Bhandari also emerged victorious from Salna Block in Chamoli district.

Another positive aspect of the panchayat elections was the largescale participation of locals, with a voter turnout of over 70 per cent. In some villages which had not more than 20 households, there were about seven candidates.