Daijiworld Media Network – Mangalore (SP)

Mangalore, Jan 27: The term of the present president of Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat, K Santosh Bhandary, is set to end today. Mysore divisional commissioner, M V Jayanti, will take over charge of the zilla panchayat today evening from him. She will be in-charge of this post till February 8, 2011, when the election for the new president and vice-president of the zilla panchayat will be held.

In the previous term of the zilla panchayat, Congress and BJP had got 15 members each. JDS, with five members, had played the role of kingmaker in the election. Members of all these three parties had become presidents and vice-presidents. Bhandary, a rebel Congress member, had risen to the post with the support of the BJP, on August 28, 2009.

This time, however, BJP has increased its tally to 24, and Congress slumped to 11. JDS has failed to ensure victory for any of its candidates. The BJP leaders are involved with the difficult manoeuvre of choosing a suitable candidate out of several aspirants. The post of the president has been earmarked for woman candidate from general category, while the post of the vice president will go to a woman from backward category ‘B’.

As such, ladies will be elected as president and vice-president of Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat and also as the vice-president of the taluk panchayat here.