Grama Panchayats, the lowest tier in the Panchayati Raj system in Karnataka to which the elections were held earlier was the entry point for PAC to engage CSOs at grass root levels in elections to these panchayat raj institutions. Zilla and Taluk Panchayats constitute the upper two tiers of governance and elections held to them later was an opportunity for PAC to expand its activities related to promoting informed choices involving local organisations.

Partner Navodaya(Bangalore south), HELP (Chitradurga), Sarvodaya (Bagalkot), Nagarika Seva Trust (Dakshina Kannada), Consumer Forum (Udupi), Prag Jyothi (Bidar), Disha (Davangere), Prajna (Mysore), Dakshina Kannada Parisarasaktha Okkuta (Mangalore), Janakalyana Mahila Abhivruddhi Samsthe (Shimoga) and Namma Dhwani Community Radio (Kolar) partnered with PAC in carrying out the above mentioned activities in their respective districts.

About the Campaign:

• In continuation of its efforts to strengthen governance at the rural level, PAC began the task of engaging CSOs in ten districts of Karnataka during Zilla and Taluk Panchayat elections in December 2005.

• The programme aimed at collecting the affidavits of contesting candidates in selected places and organising and distributing this information in order to make voters aware about their candidates.

• Upon PAC’s request, the SEC had instructed the Deputy Commissioners of all the districts to cooperate with public interest groups and provide them with the required information.

• The SEC had also conducted the much required training programme to its Returning Officers utilising the state-of-the-art technology available at the Administrative Training Institute at Mysore, as suggested by PAC after evaluating its own campaign during Gram Panchayat elections held earlier.

• Despite these efforts, the concerned officers continued to be uncooperative to these groups in many places. However, the highly motivated groups’ constant persuasive efforts yielded the much-required information.

• The groups have successfully carried out the dissemination of candidates’ information, which has created demand from the surrounding villages and taluks to replicate these efforts.

• The Mukha-Mukhi programmes also proved to be an enlightening forum for the voters in these places. Such meetings have successfully revealed the ignorance of some of the contesting candidates and helped voters to be cautious of such candidates.

Follow up:

• The learning from these exercises is being compiled and will be forwarded to the SEC for further action.