The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Sahitya Parishat elections today

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Aug 24, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Sahitya Parishat elections today

K.N. Venkatasubba Rao

‘Upper castes have been controlling the literary body for the last 60 years’

The counting of votes will be taken up on Sunday
Results for State-level body to be out on Tuesday

BANGALORE: Curiosity over who would be elected as the 23rd president, a “Lingyat or Vikkaliga,” to the 93-year-old Kannada Sahitya Parishat (Bangalore) has been precipitating in the light of some turbulent developments and debatable statements during the tenure of writer Chandrashekhara Patil.

Elections for the post of the president of the Kannada Sahitya Parishat, 29 district unit presidents and the presidents for Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala units is slated for Sunday. The counting of votes will be taken up at all centres on the same day and the results announced immediately.

However, the results of the State-level body will be announced on Tuesday, according to Returning Officer K. Nagaraju.

Despite its history, men belonging to Vokkaliga, Dalit and other backward communities are yet to get elected to the coveted post while women have been systematically deprived of it.

In the context of the upper caste domination and the future of the parishat, Prof. Patil had made an interesting observation in an interview to The Hindu. He said: “The parishat has been under the control of upper castes such as Brahmins, Lingayats and Jains for over 60 years. It will continue to be so. Since 1996, I took keen interest in the parishat as an observer. I sensed that the organisation has not been responding to the socio-political realities. I contested the parishat’s elections in 2001 and lost. In 2004, I have registered an impressive victory against all odds. Caste and cultural politics helped me win the elections. Then the number of parishat voters was 40,000. Now, it swelled to 75,000. By 2009, it will reach over one lakh. This meant only a Lingayat belonging to North Karnataka region with the full grasp of the cultural scenario from a secular outlook can rule the parishat.”

In the 2004 elections, there were 14 candidates in the fray for the post of the president, 12 lost their deposit. Prof. Patil obtained a lead in all the districts except Mandya and Dakshina Kannada.

In 2000, there were an estimated 20,000 eligible voters, in 2004 the electorate grew to 40,000 and this year there are 62,000 voters. Only members who have completed three years after the date of their enrolment are eligible to exercise their votes.

Although there are seven candidates in the fray this time, the fight is said to be among the three former professors of Kannada, Nallur Prasad, C. Veeranna and S. Vidyashankar.

While Dr. Prasad, a Vokkaliga, is contesting for the second time, Dr. Veeranna is a former secretary of the parishat and Dr. Vidyashankar is contesting for the first time. Dr. Veeranna and Dr. Vidyashankar are Lingayats.

Another familiar name in the parishat circles, Lakshmana Rao Gogi of Gulbarga, is a keen and regular contender. He belongs to the Madivala community (OBC).

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

Karnataka