The authorities have initiated an inquiry into the alleged auction of the post of village panchayat president at Thirumangalakottai (East) in Orathanadu block of Thanjavur district.
The villagers, however, denied the allegation and claimed that a meeting was convened recently by the elders to arrive at a consensus on who should get the post. According to sources, the villagers of Thirumangalakottai held the meeting at a temple two days ago to evolve a consensus on the election of the panchayat president from the general category of voters in the hamlet.
Following the meeting, messages alleging that the post had been sold for ₹32 lakh started doing the rounds on social media.
Subsequently, a team of officials, led by the Orathanadu Block Development Officer (Panchayats), Krishnan, visited the village and conducted enquiries. The villagers reportedly admitted that they convened a meeting, but only to decide on a unanimous candidate. They denied auctioning the post, officials said.However, the district administration has ordered further inquiries.
