MLA abandons official car, travels in bus soon after election declaration in Karnataka

MANGALURU: Puttur MLA T Shakunthala Shetty became a role model for all elected representatives by forgoing her official car immediately after knowing about election declaration on Tuesday.
She not only got down from the official car on her way to Puttur, but also waited for a private service bus after asking her driver to surrender the official car with the election commission. In fact, Shakunthala, who is one of the Parliamentary secretaries of chief minister Siddaramaiah, was on her way to Puttur after attending a private function at Arlapadavu in Panaje, about 12 kms from Puttur. When the MLA got to know about the election declaration, she asked the driver to stop the car.

She waited at a bus stop till a private bus arrived. Later, she travelled in the bus along with other leaders including Congress Puttur block vice-president Shivananda Maniyani. “It is our responsibility to abide by the rules. Hence, I have returned my official car. People from other parties may make it a big issue if I continue to use official car even after the declaration of election,” she told TOI.

She also recalled how she made a similar gesture when the Union government outlawed VIP vehicles sporting red beacon lights. “I had removed beacon light from my official vehicle immediately after it was banned,” she said.