Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Nov 8: The state government has filed an affidavit in the high court, seeking to hold elections for the posts of the presidents and vice presidents in local administrations that have not appealed against the reservation criteria. The government expects a favourable response from the high court in a few days.

About a year back, the election was held for 208 local administrations in two phases. In most of these cases, appeals have not been filed against the reservation fixed by the government. Therefore, these bodies may be able to take charge of administration and exercise power shortly.

In the affidavit, the government has pleaded with the high court to allow local administrations that have approached the court, to take over charge after the court delivers the verdict. It has requested the court to permit the local administrations where there is no opposition to the reservation criteria, to take over charge of their respective bodies by holding an election for the posts of the presidents and vice presidents.

Sources in the government said that before filing the affidavits, meetings of officials and legal experts were held thrice. They expect some result in about two weeks time.

In the first phase of the election held on August 31 in 2018, the election was held for 109 local administrations for which result was announced on September 3. As reservation criteria for president and vice president were changed later, several of these local administrations had approached the court. Sometime thereafter, the government had agreed before the court to elect presidents and vice presidents as per the reservation criteria announced earlier. This application is before the high court.

In the meanwhile, the election was held for 103 local bodies in the second phase on May 29, 2019, the result of which was announced on May 31. As the question of reservation was before the court, the administration which went for election for the second phase could take overpower.

In Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts, the election was held for Ulla, Puttur, Udupi city municipal councils, Bantwal, Karkala, Kundapur and Moodbidri town municipalities, Sullia, Saligrama and Mulky town panchayats and Beltangady panchayat, all of which had participated in the second phase of the election process. Reservation criteria have been questioned in Bantwal and Ullal local administrations.

As the administrations have not taken over plougher, they are run by officials and people's representatives have become powerless.

Dakshina Kannada district in-charge minister, Kota Srinivas Poojary, exuded the confidence that the problem would be sorted out within two weeks.