Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network—Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, May 17: A heated exchange of words took place at the University College between JD(S) candidate for the upper house S L Bhojegowda and the principal of the college Laxminarayana Bhat on Wednesday May 16 for denying entry to the former to campaign for the upcoming election for South West Graduates’ constituency.
Bhojegowda, after campaigning in some colleges in the city on Wednesday morning, was supposed to enter University College located at Hampanakatta around 11 am.
However, he was denied entry to the college for the reason that valuation is taking place and hence, no election campaigners could be allowed. Irked by this move of the college principal, Bhojegowda said that on Tuesday May 15, BJP’s candidates D H Shankarmurhty and Captain Ganesh Karnik were given entry to the valuation centers, and hence, the principal is biased against JD(S) candidates. Bhat argued that he was on leave till yesterday and no such news was known to him. “If at all they gained entry police complaints ‘could be’ given,” he said.
The principal, who was in charge yesterday, told Daijiworld that as alleged by Bhojegowda, BJP’s candidates D H Shankarmurthy and Captain Ganesh Karnik had not entered the valuation centers.
College principal Bhat was in the news when he had denied permission to organize the 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda and ‘Jago Bharat’ event at the college campus earlier this year, which later took place as per the demands of the students.