A Gujarat village without a sarpanch for over 15 years, know why

One of the affluent village panchayats in Gujarat — Chandrapura in Halol taluka — has witnessed a complete boycott of the general elections by villagers for three terms. 

As of the last date for filing nominations on Monday, not a single candidate contested for the post of sarpanch or for any of the 8 ward seats. 

As a result, for the third consecutive term, the administration will be run by the government-appointed administrator (vahivatdar).

Villagers are upset because for the past 15 years (three terms), the sarpanch seat has been reserved for the Scheduled Caste (SC) community. Due to this ongoing reservation, no one has filed nominations, and the election has been boycotted.

The majority of the population in the village are from the Patel community. But, just like the previous two terms, the sarpanch seat this time too has been reserved for the SC category. In protest, villagers sent a formal representation to the collector on May 8, 2025, stating that the SC population in the village is negligible, yet the seat continues to be reserved. So, no one contests the elections, and the village governance is handled by an administrator instead of an elected sarpanch.

Even after this formal complaint, no corrective action was taken, and as of the final date for filing nominations, no candidate came forward to contest the post of sarpanch or ward members. Therefore, the villagers have boycotted the elections once again.

Chandrapura village has a population of 681, of which only 327 are registered voters. Despite being a small village, its annual revenue is ₹1 crore, and it holds reserves of ₹9 crore. 

This high income is due to the industrial zone of Halol being located within the village boundaries, where several major corporate companies operate, according to the village Talati (revenue officer).