The rejection of the nomination of Harsha Moily for the Congress’s primary election to select its candidate for Dakshina Kannada Lok Sabha constituency has not deterred him.
According to the Congress, the nomination was rejected by the “election authority” of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) on the ground that he was not a “social worker”, as specified by him.
The son of Union Minister M. Veerappa Moily in an SMS to The Hindu said: “There is nothing to be concerned about. I am awaiting clarification from AICC. It should be resolved soon.”
The vice president of Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee and a confidant of Veerappa Moily, Tejomaya, said Mr. Moily filed an appeal before the AICC.
Mr. Tejomaya claimed that there was “solid evidence” to prove that Mr. Moily was a social worker as he was managing a school for destitute children at Kukkundur, near Karkala. There were about 180 children studying in it.
Batting for the candidature of Mr. Moily, the former president of Mangalore Urban Development Authority (MUDA), Mr. Tejomaya, said Mr. Moily was not into publicity for his “social work” and was doing it silently.
Mr. Tejomaya said he was hopeful that the party would review its decision. There was always scope for an appeal, he said. But a top Congress leader, who preferred anonymity, told The Hindu that there was no provision for an appeal. The leader said probably “Mr. Moily and his supporters are thinking only from their angle”.
But as a Congress worker he could always approach top leadership. If he would be appealing again as a contestant for the primary election it would be a futile exercise, the leader said.
