Silvester D’Souza

Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapura (MS)

Kundapura, Apr 26: Polling for the Lok Sabha election commenced early on Friday, April 26. However, campaigning for the None of the Above (NOTA) option took an unexpected turn in Kota Padukere, the native place of BJP candidate Kota Srinivas Poojary for the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency.

The NOTA campaign in Kota Padukere was led by a team headed by Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi, advocating for justice for Soujanya, who tragically fell victim to a brutal rape and murder in Dharmasthala in 2012. Dinesh Ganiga Kota, previously involved in the fight for justice for Soujanya, led the NOTA campaign in Kota.

In a statement to the media, Dinesh Ganiga expressed frustration over the lack of concrete action from both elected representatives and the government regarding the numerous cases of rape and murder in Dharmasthala. He highlighted the persistent efforts to seek justice for the victims and emphasized the need for tangible steps in this regard. As a result, the NOTA campaign, spearheaded by Mahesh Shetty Thimarodi, gained momentum.

Dinesh Ganiga noted that nearly 1.5 lac votes are expected to be cast under the NOTA option in Dakshina Kannada, with an estimated 50,000 votes in the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru district alone. This concerted effort aims to advocate for justice for Soujanya and her grieving family.