Pics: Brijesh Garodi
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (DV)
Mangalore, May 31: Asha Thimmappa Gowda and Satish Kumpala, both from BJP, were on Saturday May 31 unanimously elected president and vice-president respectively of Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat (ZP).
The elections were held at ZP office with regional commissioner M V Jayanti as the election officer.
Both Asha Gowda and Satish Kumpala were elected unopposed, as Congress did not nominate any candidates. Ultimately, there were only two applications, both from BJP.
Of the 25 BJP ZP members, 24 were present. Among the 11 Congress members, 6 were present and the rest five absent.
Addressing reporters after her win, Asha Thimmappa Gowda said, "My party has given me this position and opportunity. My dream is to make Dakshina Kannada a model district, and for this, I need the support of all 35 members of ZP. I also need guidance from former ZP presidents and vice-presidents."
She added, "There are many problems facing the district pertaining to basic amenities, like scarcity of drinking water and cleanliness. To resolve these problems we need support from all members.
"We will work towards increasing the level of groundwater. We now have a union minister from the district (Sadananda Gowda), so whatever the district needs will be done," she said.
Satish Kumpala said, "I feel lucky to be elected the vice-president of ZP. The president is like my sister. It is a great moment indeed."
"We need support from all members for the development of the district. We already have the support of everyone, and I am sure that in future also all will support us. We have a good MP (Nalin Kumar), a union railway minister and three ministers of state. We will implement new programmes for the development of the district. I will work sincerely and promptly," he said.
Outgoing ZP president Korgappa Naik said, "When Shailaja Bhat was ZP president we had won a national award for the district. Even this time we won it, but due to elections we could not receive it. I am sure we will win again under the charge of the new president.
He thanked the members for supporting him during his tenure and urged them to continue their support to the new president too.
Mamatha Gatti and K S Masood spoke on behalf of the Congress. Masood said that Congress did not field a candidate as it did not want to do so just for the sake of opposing.
Addition regional commissioner B Ramu, ZP CEO Tulasi Maddineni and others were present.