Karnataka - Belgaum   

Kannadiga in MES upsets some groups

Belgaum: More than the yet-another successful election of a pro-Maharashtra Maharashtra Ekikaran Samithi (MES) member as president of the 38-member Belgaum Taluk Panchayat here on Friday, the presence of a Kannadiga in the MES has disturbed the Kannada groups. Though the Kannada groups have abstained from commenting on the outcome of the elections to the post of the panchayat president and vice-president, they are unable to comprehend how a Kannadiga is finding herself comfortable in the allegedly anti-Kannada, anti-Kanataka MES.

Mala Biramatti and Yellappa Belgaunkar were elected to the two top posts here on Friday. They polled 19 and 20 votes respectively against their rivals. Ajjappa Yeddalgud, who contested for the post of the panchayat president, was conspicuous by his absence at the time of polling.

In the 38-member panchayat, the MES enjoys the support of 19 members. There are six members belonging to the Congress and nine belonging to the BJP. At the time of polling, only 23 were present.

Assistant Commissioner and Returning Officer B.C. Satish postponed the elections midway through the process on technical grounds. The polling was rescheduled and held in a peaceful manner on Friday. Ms. Biramatti, who belongs to Scheduled Tribe, is a Kannadiga. Yet, she successfully contested as a MES candidate from Santhibastwad in the last panchayat polls during 2005.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Work on Belgaum Zilla Panchayat building nearing completion
Kannadiga in MES upsets some groups
Livestock census

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu