CHIKMAGALUR: The former Chairman of the Legislative Council and President of the Karnataka Chitrakala Parishath B.L. Shankar said here on Monday that dissidence in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the split in the Janata Dal (Secular) gives an edge to the Congress in the elections to the zilla and taluk panchayats. Mr. Shankar told presspersons that there was a need to review the present three-tier panchayat raj system. Advocating the two-tier system, he said taluk panchayats should be made advisory bodies consisting of gram panchayat presidents and headed by the local MLA. He said gram panchayats should be empowered.

Explaining the party's election manifesto, he said there is a proposal to amend the Panchayat Raj Act to give more powers to presidents of zilla and taluk panchayats. Under this proposal, the zilla panchayat president will enjoy the powers of a Minister of State and the taluk panchayat president will be on par with the MLA. Mr. Shankar said his party gave more powers to the backward classes. This was evident from the fact that candidates from the backward classes were contesting for three zilla panchayat seats reserved for the general category in Chikmagalur district. The Congress is contesting all the 34 zilla panchayat seats. Of the 34 candidates, 11 belong to other backward classes, nine from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, seven Lingayats, five Vokkaligas and two from minority communities.

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