Congress Party Supporters Plead Women To Contest Reserved Sarpanch Seat, One Of Them Falls At Feet

Telangana: A video from Mahbubabad district of Telangana has gone viral, that shows multiple men pleading with a woman to contest local body elections as sarpanch. One of them fell at her feet, almost encircling them, refusing to let go till she agreed. The incident unfolded in Datla village, Dantalapalli mandal, Mahabubabad District, this week, highlighting the intense pressure and high stakes involved in India’s hyper-local body elections, particularly those reserved for specific demographic groups. ​A group of Congress party supporters and local faction leaders were filmed emotionally appealing to a woman, Ramulamma, urging her to contest for the crucial Sarpanch post in the upcoming Panchayat elections. The situation became dramatic when several men were seen holding her hand or kneeling at  her feet, pleading with the mother of a former MPTC (Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency) member to accept the candidacy. ​The Datla Sarpanch seat has been designated for a Backward Classes (BC) woman candidate. Leaders of the local Congress faction insisted that Ramulamma was the consensus candidate and the only person who could guarantee their party’s victory in the reserved constituency. Ramulamma, reportedly taken by surprise by the emotional intensity of the request, deferred her decision, stating she would announce her choice shortly. ​The emotional pressure witnessed in Datla is a common, though rarely this dramatic, symptom of the complexities surrounding mandatory reservations in India’s Panchayati Raj system, mandated by the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments. ​Seats for local bodies (Sarpanch, Ward Member, etc.) are frequently reserved for Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), Backward Classes (BC), and a portion of seats within each category are further reserved for women.  While this system has significantly boosted representation for marginalised groups, it often poses a challenge for political parties. They must field candidates from the precise caste and gender category, sometimes leading to frantic searches for “winnable” figures who are loyal to the local political families. ​In many reserved seats, particularly those allocated for women, local strongmen or influential political families often seek out a loyal family member, like a wife, mother, or sister, to contest the seat, ensuring they can wield influence indirectly, a phenomenon frequently referred to as “proxy candidacy.”