Discontent in Karkala Cong. over ticket to Bhandary

A large number of supporters of the Congress aspirant Muniyal Udaykumar Shetty took to the streets protesting against the party high command’s decision to give ticket for the Karkala Assembly Constituency to H. Gopal Bhandary, former MLA and protégé of the former Chief Minister M. Veerappa Moily, at Karkala in Udupi district on Monday.

They held placards and shouted slogans such as “Moily Hatao, Congress Bachao” and staged a protest near Mr. Shetty’s office close to the Taluk Office. They took out a procession from Mr. Shetty’s office to Mr. Bhandary’s office. They stomped on the photographs of G.A. Bawa and Bharat M., Congress in-charge for the district, during the protest.

They said that the party top brass had not taken the opinion of the workers into consideration on the selection of the candidate. Had their opinion been taken, Mr. Shetty would have got ticket. Instead, ticket had been given based on Mr. Moily’s whims, they said.

Though Mr. Moily’s son, Harsha Moily was in the race for the Karkala Assembly Constituency, he withdrew later. This left Mr. Bhandary and Mr. Shetty in the race.

Mr. Shetty supporters said that the Congress had got weakened over the years in the Karkala constituency, winning none of the zilla panchayat seats and a lone seat in Karkala Taluk Panchayat in the constituency. All of which were captured by the BJP.

The majority of the gram panchayats in the constituency were also in the hands of the BJP-supported candidates. It was in these tough circumstances that Mr. Shetty worked to organise the party for the last two years from the grassroots level. His efforts in this regard should be rewarded and he should be given ticket, they said.

Mr. Shetty, who arrived at the spot, tried to pacify his supporters. He said that there was time till April 24 (the last date for filing of nomination papers) and there was still hope. The high command could still reverse its decision. “I still feel that justice will be done. Whatever it is, we will work for the Congress. We should work to bring the Congress government back to power in the State,” Mr. Shetty said.

But some of his supporters said that if he was denied Congress ticket, he should contest as an independent candidate.