AHMEDABAD: In a glaring instance of administrative negligence, the Gujarat State Election Commission is under fire after a 19-year-old girl was allegedly elected as Sarpanch in Gilosan village, Mehsana district, a clear violation of the minimum age requirement of 21 years.The irregularity came to light not during the election process, but while preparing a list of young Sarpanches to be felicitated by the Chief Minister at an upcoming event in Gandhinagar, said a source. During the verification of documents, officials from the district panchayat discovered a mismatch in the age of the newly elected Sarpanch, Afrozbanu Sipai. Her Aadhaar card shows a birth date of 8 December 2004, while her school leaving certificate mentions 7 January 2005, making her just 19 years and 8 months old, and therefore ineligible to contest.Shockingly, this discrepancy allegedly went completely unnoticed during the election process. It was only when the school leaving certificate was requested for the felicitation ceremony that officials realised the violation. The incident has triggered outrage and raised serious questions about the due diligence of election officials and returning officers responsible for verifying eligibility.
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