In a country where it is believed that family comes before anyone else, the candidate at the Charwada Gram Panchayat in Valsad did not even receive votes from his family. The candidate at ward number 5 of the Gram Panchayat of Vapi Taluka, Valsad district only received one vote.
It was found that Santosh Halpati’s life partner that supposedly is to support him throughout his life according to Hindu traditions also did not see him fit for the position. He was not voted by any of his family members.
In the Gram Panchayat, the small panchayats are given priority. The big panchayats are second in line. First, the ward members are elected and then the Sarpanch. Santosh Halpati only received one vote in this election. The condition of the candidate became worse as he found out that his family members did not vote for him.
815 candidates stood for 300 Sarpanch posts and 5200 candidates stood for 2150 ward member seats in the district. Many of these decisions have been made today, while some are still pending. The counting of votes has started from 9 am amid tight police security. The counting process has been started in 6 taluka centres of the district. About 700 personnel have been assigned to carry out the counting operations at each of the counting centres.
