Rudraprayag, August 3 (H.S.): The post of District Panchayat President in Rudraprayag has been reserved for a woman for the third consecutive time. In the 18-member house, 9 women members have been elected this time, including two officially backed by the ruling party. The Rudraprayag district was formed in 2019 by combining the border areas of Pauri, Chamoli, and Tehri districts.

Gangadhar Nautiyal had the honour of becoming the district’s first Panchayat President. Later, Shailarani Rawat, who had twice been an MLA from Kedarnath constituency, was elected as the first woman District Panchayat President. In 2014, Lakshmi Rana of the Congress, elected from the Bajira seat, became the District Panchayat President. Her five-year term was considered commendable.

In the 2019 three-tier Panchayat elections, the Bajira seat was reserved for an SC woman candidate. Amaradei Shah, backed by the BJP, was elected and became the District Panchayat President. After nearly two years in office, a no-confidence motion was brought against her in the house. However, before the motion could proceed, she submitted her resignation to the District Magistrate. Later, she was re-elected and completed her full term. Now, in the latest round of three-tier Panchayat elections, the Uttarakhand government has again reserved the post of District Panchayat President for a woman, paving the way for the district to have its fourth woman president.

Currently, five members have been elected from the BJP, including women from the Kandali and Khankara wards. Notably, a total of nine women have been elected as District Panchayat members, with two backed by the BJP, one by the Congress, and the remaining six elected as independents.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar