Mangalore: Mayoral Fiasco - BJP Blames Election Officer
Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje
Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (PS)
Mangalore, Mar 7: District BJP leaders on Wednesday March 7 blamed the mayoral election officer for their candidate's last-minute rejection saying that nowhere in the election guidelines was it told that caste certificate was required to prove the candidate's eligibility.
Monappa Bhandary, spokesperson of the district unit of BJP said that the notice served by the election officer seven days ago mentioned that caste certificate should be submitted by the contestant two hours before the election procedures start.
"However, the election officer accepted our candidate's certificates and did not point out any document or certificate to be missing," he said, "It is the duty of the election officer to see that the nomination will not be rejected and that is the law."
"The election guidelines issued to the party were different and now a completely varied rule is being applied by the EO. This is a tactic by the election officer and she did it due to pressure," he aleged. He refused to reveal on whose 'pressure' the election officer had acted.
Bhandary firmly said there was no mistake from the party's side and that the election officer acted unlawfully.
Asked about boycott of the mayoral ceremony by the party leaders, he said it was done not a show dishonour to the newly-elected mayor but to express the disheartenment of the BJP at being ruled out of the race.
Earlier in MCC, the mayor alone addressed the members and the media and said she would make the Mangalore City Corporation the best one in the entire state.
Surprisingly Mangalore City Corporation commissioner Harish Kumar too left the venue and did not accompany the mayor, and the deputy mayor too boycotted along with the ruling party members. It is a rule that after announcing the new mayor and deputy mayor, the election officers hand over the charge to mayor to lead the MCC.
Bhandary also ruled out any ‘non-cooperation of the party members during the sessions in MCC in the coming days' and said they would fight the matter legally.
State legislative assembly deputy speaker Yogish Bhat was of the opinion that at least the election officer should have accepted the request of BJP members to review the nomination.
Leaders Nalin Kumar Kateel, Shreekar Prabhu among others were present at the press meet.