Karnataka: Political parties gear up for Hubballi-Dharwad civic body polls

HUBBALLI: In the wake of the Election Commission making clear its intention to go ahead with Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) Council elections, there is a perceptible bustle animating the political parties in the twin cities.
In fact, most of parties have started shortlisting candidates for the 82 wards under the jurisdiction of the civic agency.
The HDMC Council has been awaiting an elected body for more than two-and-a-half years, and now, with all the legal hurdles cleared – the Karnataka high court, no less, having ruled in favour of the elections being conducted at the earliest – political parties are eager to stay ahead of their rivals by finalising their candidates.
While Congress and BJP are grappling with the problem of plenty; with two or three hopeful candidates vying for each of the 82 seats, JD(S) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are staring at a dearth of candidates in many wards.
BJP spokesman Ravi Nayak told TOI that the cadre of the saffron party had, the lockdown notwithstanding, been very active, both on the ground and on virtual platforms.
“They have been helping people deal with the Covid-induced crisis. Since the Karnataka State Election Commission has started preparing the electoral rolls, many workers are lobbying hard to contest the HDMC polls. There are as many as eight contenders for the party ticket in some wards. The candidates will be chosen by the party’s Dharwad district core committee,” said Nayak, exuding confidence of the party’s ability to face the election regardless of when it is held.
Meanwhile, Vidyanagar block Congress president Rajat Ullagaddimath said that the party leadership was factoring in the updated reservation matrix, and the altered boundaries of the wards following the delimitation exercise.
“Many aspirants are have already started lobbying for the party ticket. There are eight to ten aspirants for the ticket in some wards. A committee comprising the party’s city unit chief, legislators, block presidents will be constituted to finalise the party’s candidates,” Ullagadimath said.
AAP’s Dharwad district president Santosh Nargund said that the party had been preparing for the HDMC council polls for the past year.
“AAP national team member Romi Bhati is expected to visit Hubballi soon. We have already drawn up a shortlist of five probable candidates for each ward, and Bhati will finalise the party nominee. We will not be fielding candidates with criminal antecedents or those faced with corruption charges,” Nargund said.
JD(S) leader Siddu Teji said that, the party was awaiting the appointment of the chiefs of its city and district units, following which preparations for the polls would get under way.
EC cites court order
Responding to a letter from the Dharwad deputy commissioner, the EC has stated that it will continue with its preparations to hold the polls to the HDMC Council since the court has mandated it.
The EC had, in a directive issued on June 14, directed the Dharwad DC to start compiling the voters’ list. Citing the government’s directive against holding polls for another four months, the DC had sought clarification from the EC, responding to which, the latter stated the high court’s order mandating that elections be held within the stipulated period.