Cong begins candidate selection process for MLC poll

Mangaluru: With the term of MLCs Prathap Chandra Shetty from the Congress and Kota Shrinivas Poojari of the BJP ending on January 6 next year, brisk political activity has begun in the Congress camp, but the BJP has decided to take a decision only after the declaration of the election date.
The Congress has already invited applications from aspirants from the coastal districts. Former mayor Shashidhar Hegde, former vice-president of KPCC Manjunath Bhandari and Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee (DCC) vice-president Prasad Raj Kanchan have submitted applications. The party will receive applications till September 30. According to Congress sources, applicants will have to donate Rs 1 lakh for the KPCC building fund.
Dakshina Kannada DCC vice-president Sadashiva Ullal told TOI that more aspirants from the party are expected to submit applications before the deadline. “We have received only three applications from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts so far. All applications will be forwarded to the KPCC, and a final decision will be taken by the party high command,” he said.
On the electorate, he said that a final voters’ list is yet to be prepared by the Election Commission. “The electorate comprises elected members from zilla panchayats, taluk panchayats, gram panchayats, MLAs, MLCs and MPs of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts. However, zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats have been dissolved. Hence, only gram panchayat members, MLAs, MLCs and MPs are voters. Within six months, elections to zilla panchayats and taluk panchayats should be conducted,” Sadashiva said.
Dakshina Kannada district BJP president Sudarshan Moodbidri said that the party is in no hurry to commence the candidate selection process, since the Election Commission has not announced dates. “We will announce the names of candidates only after the declaration of election dates,” he added.
Aspirant from Congress, Shashidhar Hegde, said though there were nearly 6,500 voters, the number has reduced due to the non-existence of elected bodies in taluk and zilla panchayats in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.