Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Feb 12: Shankar Shetty of the BJP and Jyoti Nayak of the Congress were elected as the president and vice-president respectively of Kundapur taluk panchayat (TP), at the election held for these posts on Friday February 11. Sub-divisional officer, Sadashiva Prabhu, officiated as the returning officer for the election.

Shankar Shetty was elected from Senapur constituenc near Byndoor, while Jyoti represents Kaltodu constituency.

In the 35-member taluk panchayat, BJP has a strength of 22. A rebel BJP member from Uppunda, Prasanna Kumar, too had filed his nomination for the post of the president, in addition to Shankar Shetty. Shetty got elected by 20-15, as the entire opposition and a BJP member sided with Prasanna Kumar. Jyoti Nayak got elected unanimously, as the BJP did not have any candidates to contest for the post, which was earmarked for lady candidate from scheduled tribes.

BJP MP, D V Sadanand Gowda, MLAs, Halady Srinivas Shetty and K Lakshminarayan, district BJP president, Uday Kumar Shetty, and several other leaders were present.

The BJP, which has risen to power in this taluk panchayat for the first time, had to face the rebellion from within at this election. District BJP unit jumped into action immediately. In a statement, district BJP president, Uday Kumar Shetty said that the district BJP vice-president, Navinchandra Uppunda, who supported the rebellion and encouraged the party members to vote for the rebel candidate, has been suspended from the party. He said that the TP members, Prasannakumar from Uppunda and Gauri Devadiga from Bijoor, have been suspended from the party till further orders for violating the whip issued to them. “Both of them got elected on our party symbol. Within 15 days, they should tender their resignations to their taluk panchayat memberships.  Otherwise, the party will initiate action against them,” he stated.