Kellekarguttu Monappa Bhandary, a former president of Dakshina Kannada unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), who was declared elected unopposed to the Legislative Council on Wednesday, will be currently the third Member in the Legislative Council (MLC) from Dakshina Kannada from the BJP. The other two MLCs from the district are D V Sadananda Gowda and Ganesh Karnik.
Mr. Bhandary has been elected to the Council in the by-election to the Council from the Legislative Assembly. His term will end in June, 2014. The by-election was held to the seat which fell vacant following the death of V.S. Acharya.
A graduate in law and a post-graduate in History (M.A.) Mr. Bhandary is an advocate and spokesperson of the district unit of the BJP.
In 2003, the BJP had fielded Mr. Bhandary as its candidate in the election to the Council from local bodies’ constituency of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada. He lost the election to Blasius M D’Souza of the Congress by 32 votes. In the 2008 by-election to the Council from local bodies’ constituency of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada though Mr. Bhandary was a strong contender as BJP’s candidate, the party fielded Kota Srinivasa Poojary.
