Bharti Garva (second from left) won by 117 votes in Bhuj taluka village. (TOI Photo)
RAJKOT: The 20-year-old Bharti Garva won by 117 votes to become the first sarpanch of the Balika Panchayat in Kunariya village of Bhuj taluka on Monday.
The village held the election to elect Balika Panchayat, a unique body to be governed by girls below the age of 21 to address the issues faced by women and adolescent girls.
All the four contesting candidates campaigned aggressively for a week prior to the election.
The newly-elected sarpanch, Garva, who is pursuing her graduation through distance learning, is all geared up for the new role. “The experience of Balika Panchayat will be useful in effective implementation of 50% women reservation in Panchayati raj. We will focus on issues like health, education, nutritional food and we will also organize training for the career enhancement of girls,” Garva said.