Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jul 1: In an extraordinary move, Congressmen, perhaps feeling slighted at the loss suffered by the candidates put up by them for the posts of the president and vice president in Hejamady gram panchayat (GP), paraded their members to a Hindu religious place and a mosque to make them take a oath of loyalty for their party there.

Hejamady has 11 Congress GP members, while BJP has 10. On Tuesday, election to the posts of the president and vice president was held at the panchayat hall. As two Congress members cross-voted in favour of BJP, BJP candidates came out victorious.

Congress leaders, who were making preparations to take out a victory procession, were shocked at the turn around. They took their members to Abbaga-Daraga Alade, a Hindu religious place, where the members were made to take oath about their truthfulness and loyalty to the party. One of the members was led to the local mosque, where too he was made to swear in the name of the Almighty.

Vishalakshi Umesh Putran (48) of the BJP became the president of Hejamady GP, while the post of the vice president went to Sudhakar Kotian. Vishalakshi defeated Congress candidate, Renuka, by a gap of 12-9 votes while Shivaram Shetty from Congress was also defeated by the same margin for the post of the vice president.

Returning officer, G Vaman Nayak, and panchayat development officer, Narasimha, managed the election process. BJP leaders, Lalaji R Mendon, Prakash Shetty Padebettu, and others congratulated the winning candidates.