TOI

Mangalore, Apr 12: Sitting MLA Shakuntala Shetty isn’t sulking that she has been denied the party ticket to contest from Puttur because she will file her nomination papers from the BJP either on April 23 or 28. 

Confirming this, Shakuntala said she would file her nomination when the process begins. What if she is denied the B form by the party? “Contest I will. But not from any other party,’’ she asserted and left it at that. 

This strategy was evolved in less than 24 hours by the group supporting Shakuntala after the BJP Central Election Committee dropped her name for Puttur Assembly constituency and gave the ticket to BJP Mahila Morcha president Mallika Prasad. 

Shakuntala said her mentor former MLA and BJP leader K Ram Bhat, who was left disappointed on Thursday, decided this. But Ram Bhat has not lost hope. “Announcement of this list is not the end. There’s still time left till the B form is issued. I am hopeful that things would be sorted out by then,’’ he said.