The girl was Prachi, the older of the twin daughters of a hair salon owner, Pandurang Baburao Kondamangale. The 2-child rule for panchayat elections was imposed by various State governments in the early 1990s, primarily as a population control measure. “At some point, Kondamangale began aspiring for either himself or his wife to become the sarpanch. He confessed that the sitting sarpanch, Shinde, was ready to support him if he chose to contest,” Vijay Babu says. Support for the sarpanchIn Kerur village, Shinde enjoys a lot of support.

Source: The Hindu February 07, 2026 19:53 UTC