D.K. Aruna Slams Auctioning of Sarpanch Posts, Says Democracy Is Being Undermined

BJP National Vice-President and Mahabunagar MP D.K. Aruna criticised the ongoing practices in the Gram Panchayat elections, alleging that the auctioning of Sarpanch posts and forced unanimous elections were deeply damaging democratic traditions in rural Telangana. Speaking at the Mahabubnagar district party office, she said that the earlier culture of electing widely acceptable candidates unanimously had completely disappeared and was now replaced by practices driven by money power.

Aruna said that auctions running into lakhs and even reaching one crore rupees were being conducted to decide Sarpanch posts, which she described as dangerous for democracy. She alleged that influential village groups were selecting leaders based solely on financial strength and warned that those who spent huge amounts in auctions would only focus on recovering their investments rather than working for the development of the villages. She urged people to fully exercise their voting rights and reject forced unanimous elections, saying that in the past many villages chose leaders unanimously without any monetary temptations, but such situations no longer exist.

The BJP leader sharply criticised the Congress government, stating that not a single rupee had been released to Gram Panchayats in the last two years. She added that even bills for works completed during the BRS regime had not been cleared, leaving Sarpanches in debt and distress. Questioning the government’s performance, she asked what development had been achieved and how many promises had been fulfilled in the last two years. Aruna alleged that people were being harassed and coerced into supporting the ruling party during the election period.

She demanded that the Election Commission take suo motu action against forced unanimous elections, calling it unacceptable that authorities claimed there were no written complaints. She said that anyone visiting a village would easily learn how much the auction amounts were and added that turning a blind eye to the practice only weakened democratic processes.

Responding to the Chief Minister’s plea to vote based on development, Aruna asserted that all development in villages was made possible through funds from the Central Government. She appealed to people to support the BJP, saying that the Modi government had been consistently providing funds without political bias, unlike the Congress government, which she accused of denying funds to MLAs from other parties. She also criticised the Congress for allegedly favouring its own leaders in the allotment of Indiramma houses and questioned the progress made under the housing scheme.

Aruna also accused Chief Minister Revanth Reddy of insulting Hindu sentiments and forgetting the oath he had taken in the name of gods before coming to power. She said that power was temporary and that only the good work done while in power would remain permanent. She urged the government to ensure peaceful Panchayat elections and said that people should not be deceived again by empty promises and political threats. She emphasised that genuine development should be the priority, not political manipulation.