The wind of change is blowing, to take the famous quote of British Prime Minister Harold Mcmillan. It is indeed blowing if the number of youth winning the elections and coming forward for the community service by way of taking responsibilities is any indication.
In the recently completed Gram Panchayat elections held in Gujarat several positive indicators of the march of democracy towards healthier peaks. There are not only increased number of women candidates taking part in the dance of democracy , as the elections are called at times, but they are registering resounding wins also. To top of it all, youth in Gujarat appear to have awakened to the potential of the change they seek in their surrounding, through electoral politics.
When the 21 year olds are bestowed with the sarpanch chair in the villages, one has to reckon that there is slow but steady change underway. Steeped into the traditions of playing second fiddle to the elders, the society appear to be moving towards the change when in the rural areas of Junagadh and Aravalli, 21 year old sarpanchs are elected.
In some notable examples, Dharampur village in far-flung Maliya Hatina taluka of Junagadh district has elected a 21-year-old girl Darshana Vadher as Sarpanch. She won the election with a lead of 256 votes. Incidentally, 21-12-21, the day when elections were declared, was Darshana’s birthday too.
In the similar way, a young man studying nursing became the sarpanch of his village in Aravalli district. Jigar Kharadi, all of only 21, was elected Sarpanch of Meghraj taluka’s Chhitadara Panchayat.
