The Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat will elect its new president and vice-president for the next 20-month term on October 3, according to sources in the panchayat.
M.V. Jayanthi, Regional Commissioner, Mysore Division, will conduct the election.
The 20-month term of president K.T. Shailaja Bhat and vice-president Dhanalaxmi Janardhan will end on October 7.
In a gazette notification on September 14, the State government reserved the post of president to a Scheduled Tribe candidate and that of vice-president to a candidate from Backward Class B category. Candidates from Gowda, Bunt, Jain and Christian communities are eligible to contest for the post of vice-president.
Sources said that the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has to select its president from among two members who are eligible to contest. They are K. Meenakshi Manjuntha, member from Panaje constituency, and K. Koragappa Naik from Ujire constituency.
There are nine members in the BJP who are eligible to contest for the post of vice-president. They are Santosh Kumar Rai from Kurnadu; Ritesh Shetty from Bajpe; Keshava Gowda Bajathur from Uppinangady; Nalini Shetty from Sangabettu; Asha Thimmappa Gowda from Bellare; Naveen Kumar Melana from Jalsoor; Savithri H.S. (sister of the former Chief Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda) from Belandoor; Devaki Sanjeeva Gowda from Kaniyoor, and Sunitha Sucharitha Shetty from Puttige.
Spokesperson of the district unit of the BJP and MLC K Monappa Bhandary told The Hindu that the party is yet to finalise its candidates for the two posts.
Ms. Bhat and Ms. Janardhan were elected for the first 20-month term in the election conducted by the Regional Commissioner here on February 8, 2011. Then the post of president was reserved for a woman from the general category and that of vice-president for a woman from the Backward Class B category.
