Daijiworld Media Network - Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Dec 24: The state high court has held that seven Congress councillors of the municipal council here will not have the right to exercise their franchise during the election being held on December 27 to elect two members of legislative council from the twin-districts.

In the past, after differences broke out within Congress circles on the issue of choosing unanimous candidate for the election of municipal president, rebels had won with BJP support. Muhammedali had then succeeded in approaching the high court and unseating the elected rebels, Vani Sridhar and Nellikatte Jagadish Shetty.

Memberships of five councillors, Naveenchandra Naik, Seema Gangadhar, Rekha Yashodhar, Deeksha Pai and Kamala, who had supported Nellikatte Jagadish Shetty during the election, had lost their memberships of the council as a result. The president and a councillor, who then went to high court, had succeeded in retaining their memberships. However, the court had ordered them not to fight any election or cast votes during the period the issue was under scrutiny.

However, it was found that the list of voters for the council election had the names of Vani Sridhar, Nellikatte Jagadish Shetty, and five others. Muhammedali had filed a petition in the high court against this development. The high court, which heard the case, ordered Vani Sridhar, Nellikatte Jagadish Shetty, Naveenchandra Naik, Rekha Yashodhar, Seema Gangadhar, Kamala, and Deeksha Pai to abstain from casting their votes till the high court announces its verdict in the earlier petition.