Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Mar 3: Retired IAS officer, Manu Baligar, was declared elected as the new president of Kannada Sahtya Parishat, which seeks to serve the interest of Kannada literature, culture, and Kannadigas in general. The term of the new incumbent, who has replaced Pundalika Halambi, whose tenure as the president of Parishat had ended a few months back, will be of three years duration.

Baligar secured 61,535 out of 1,08,538 votes polled in total. His closest opponent, Jayaprakash Gowda, came a distant second with just 22,980 votes. Returning officer, K Nagaraju, announced that all the 12 other contestants have lost their deposits.

Baligar, who had worked as director in the department of Kannada and culture before his retirement, is known for his pro-Kannada initiatives. He has written several works including compilation of poetry and short stories. He also has authored biographies and plays.