BJP-Congress in direct contest in 13 ZP seats, 67 TP segments
Mangalore Today News Network
Mangaluru, Feb 20, 2016 : Former MLA and five former presidents of Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat are among the 116 candidates contesting from the 36 zilla panchayat constituencies in the election in the district on Today Feb 20.
Elections will also be conducted to 136 constituencies under five taluks where 361 candidates are in the fray.
The BJP and the Congress are facing each other in 13 zilla panchayat constituencies and in 67 taluk panchayat constituencies. The district has 201 sensitive booths and 221 hyper sensitive booths. According to the Election Commission 2,681 electronic voting machines would be used in the elections in the district.
K. Padmanabha Kottari, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 2004 from the erstwhile Vitla constituency on BJP ticket, is contesting from the Sajipamunnur zilla panchayat constituency, reserved for general category, in Bantwal taluk.
In addition, the BJP has fielded four former presidents of the zilla panchayat for the zilla panchayat seats. The immediate past president of the zilla panchayat, Asha Thimmappa Gowda, has been fielded in the Guthigar constituency.
It has fielded three more former presidents K.T. Shailaja Bhat from Mani, Koragappa Naik from Dharmasthala and K.P. Sucharitha Shetty.
On the other hand, the Congress has fielded the former president of the zilla panchayat Mamatha Gatty from Kurnad zilla panchayat constituency.
The BJP has fielded Harish Moodushedde, a former president of Mangaluru Taluk Panchayat, from the Gurupura zilla panchayat constituency.
Sahyadri Sanchaya Appeal :
Meanwhile, activists of Sahyadri Sanchaya, a registered body of environment activists, continued their NOTA campaign in different parts of the district on Friday.
They also used social media such as Facebook and WhatsApp to appeal to voters, including students, to exercise NOTA option to register people’s protest against Yettinahole project.
The activists have expressed the fear that diverting the tributaries of the Nethravathi under the project would force the river to go dry in the years to come.
According to Shashidhar Shetty, an activist, many college students who are voters have been apprised of the impact of the project. They have been requested in turn to educate their parents to exercise the NOTA option.