Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Dec 18: Just two days away from the last date for filing of nominations, the Congress party has failed to finalize its list of zilla panchayat and taluk panchayat candidates from the taluk. A meeting held between people leading different factions of the party in a hotel here on Friday failed to come to a consensus on this issue.

Party observer and former minister, M M Nanaiah, and former Bangalore mayor, Vijayakumar, were present at the said meeting, which continued till late night. District Congress president, Ramanath Rai, party MLAs, and block presidents were also present.

Reportedly, block Congress president, Hemanath Shetty Kavu, and former youth Congress district president, Bondala Jagannath Shetty, who had lost in the previous assembly election, are insisting that the candidates suggested by them should alone be fielded for the elections. Hemanath Shetty wields clout because of the fact that most of the candidates suggested by him last time had won the seats, humiliating BJP candidates.

It has been decided to convene another meeting on Saturday December 18, duly inviting former zilla parishat president, Sankappa Rai, and former Puttur block Congress president, Sudhakar Shetty, in an effort to break the impasse.

Sources said that the names of Ibrahim Kodijal from Konaje, Harsharaj from Kotekar, and Mamata Gatty from Tumbe constituencies have been finalized.