The president of the Udupi district unit of the Janata Dal (Secular), Deviprasad Shetty, on Thursday said that he suspected that JD(S) candidate for the Shirva zilla panchayat seat Jecinta Mabel D'Souza might have been kidnapped by the Congress.
Mr. Shetty told presspersons here that Ms. D'Souza attended a public meeting of the Janata Dal (Secular) three days ago at Shirva. But she disappeared suddenly after the meeting.
He said reports appearing in a section of the media that she had withdrawn from the contest were misleading. He had information that she was being pressured to withdraw her candidature by Congress leaders. The JD(S) had registered a complaint in this regard at the Shirva police station. Mr. Shetty said the JD(S) candidate for Shirva taluk panchayat seat, Ameeruddin, was receiving threatening calls asking him to withdraw from the fray. This too had been mentioned in the police complaint.
Congress leaders such as president of the Shirva unit of Congress Conard Castellino and Congress candidate for Shirva taluk panchayat seat Krishna Poojary were behind threatening and pressuring Mr. Ameeruddin and Ms. D'Souza to withdraw from the fray, he alleged. “The Congress is indulging in hooliganism as it has lost confidence to fight the elections,” Mr. Shetty said.
Superintendent of Police Pravin Pawar told The Hindu that as far as Ms. D'Souza's case was concerned, her husband Ronald Mark D'Souza had given in writing that his wife had not been kidnapped and she had gone to their relative's place.
As far as threatening calls to Mr. Ameeruddin were concerned, the police would take action on receipt of a complaint, Mr. Pawar said.
‘I have not been abducted'
Meanwhile, Ms. Souza told presspersons that she had not been kidnapped. She was a Congress worker for a long time and had aspired for Congress ticket for Shirva seat.
When she was denied Congress ticket, she was approached by Mr. Deviprasad Shetty. She was forced by Mr. Shetty to submit her nomination papers as JD(S) candidate at the last minute.
Retired
Due to unavoidable circumstances, she could not withdraw her nomination papers as the Janata Dal (S) candidate. She did not get proper guidance and support from Mr. Shetty. Hence, she retired from the fray in support of the Congress candidate. She had informed the Election Officer in writing about retiring from the fray.
“I will continue to serve people in the Shirva-Moodubelle belt as Congress worker,” Ms. D'Souza said.
