Moobidri: Ratnakar Devadiga is Town Municipality President
 
Pics: Akruti Studio
News by Shekar Ajekar
Daijiworld Media Network—Moodbidri (RD/CN)
 
Moodbidri, Aug 31: Congress candidate Ratnakar Devadiga was elected president of the town municipality while CPI (M) candidate and ‘beedi’ labourers’ activist Ramani was elected vice-president in the municipal elections held here on Monday August 30.
 
The reigning municipal administration consisting the coalition of BJP and JD(S) tried helplessly to gain victory in this election but due to calculative planning by the Congress, led the latter to come back to power after nearly two-and-a-half years.
 
The BJP, eying the top post in municipal body, through its member Harish Kumar, filed a case at deputy commissioner’s court restraining Congressmen Ratnakar Devadiga and P K Thomas from contesting in the municipal elections citing that Ratnakar is having a gainful employment in municipal body and P K Thomas is a building contractor of municipal works.  Harish Kumar has ceased to be a member now.
 

The Congress, in a counter plan, managed to get an interim order from the High Court which caused setbacks to the calculated moves of the coalition.  Then, the BJP tried to nominate MLC Captain Ganesh Karnik to contest the elections by attempting to include his name in the electoral under town municipality, despite the fact that Karnik is a resident of Mangalore and his name is included in the electoral rolls there.
 
District Congress Committee (DCC) vice-president Ivan D’Souza congratulated newly-elected president Ratnakar Devadiga and expressed happiness over regaining the power over the municipal administration after two-and-a-half years.  He also acknowledged the efforts of local MLA Abayachandra Jain and party activists in gaining the victory.
 
Tahsildar Muralidar K was the electioneering officer. Media persons were barred from getting closer to the election venue with strict security provided by town police. 
 
BJP’s Bahubali Prasad contested for president and Prema Salian for vice-president at the municipal elections.  JD(S) candidate Krishnaraj Hegde withdrew his nomination at the last minute.
 
Past president Bhoja Kotian and vice-president Koragappa congratulated newly-elected president and vice-president. JD(S) candidate Shivaraj Rai is already serving as the president of municipal steering committee. It’s significant that the powers are for the first time, in the history of the town municipality, equally shared by leading parties.