Official candidates of the BJP and the Congress, Pradeep Shettar and Saleem Ahmed, respectively, filed their nomination papers for the election to the Legislative Council Local Authorities Constituency in Dharwad on Tuesday, the last date for filing nomination papers.
As many as 12 candidates filed 21 sets of nomination papers before the deadline ended. “One nomination paper was filed on November 17 and two sets on November 18 and 21 sets on Tuesday. In all, 12 candidates have filed 24 sets of nomination papers,” Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Nitesh Patil said.
Prior to filing nomination papers at the Deputy Commissioner’s Office in Dharwad, both Mr. Pradeep Shettar (MLC) and Mr. Saleem Ahmed led huge processions in which a large number of party workers and leaders took part.
Apart from them, Fakkirreddy Attigeri and Shivakumar Talawar, both from the Janata Party, and independent candidates Basavaraj S. Kotagi, Mallikarjun Haveri, Virupakshagouda Patil, Irappa Gubber, Nageshappa Padeppanavar, Mahesh Joshi, Mahesh Hogesoppin and Manjunath Admani have filed their nomination papers.
In the two-seat constituency, both the BJP and the Congress have fielded single candidates as they didn’t want to take any chance by fielding a second candidate. Consequently, both the parties are confident of an easy victory.
While Mr. Pradeep Shettar represents the constituency, Srinivas Mane, who won in the last Council election, has now shifted to the Legislative Assembly with a win in the bypoll in Hangal. Despite a large number of aspirants from the region, the Congress has now fielded Mr. Saleem Ahmed, who contested unsuccessfully twice in the Parliamentary elections from Haveri. Although his candidature has led to voices of dissent in the Congress circle, the high command has managed to placate the local aspirants.
Speaking to presspersons, Mr. Saleem Ahmed said that as he had contested twice from Haveri in the Parliamentary elections, he was familiar with the constituency and thanked the party high command for considering his candidature.
The former Minister and senior leader H.K. Patil justified the party’s decision to field a single candidate in the constituency terming it a strategic move. Mr. Patil also accused the BJP government in the State of not holding the elections to the zilla and taluk panchayats in the fear of losing elections.
The former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, who accompanied his brother and BJP nominee [Pradeep Shettar] when the latter filed his nomination papers, said that the party is confident of winning 15 out of the 20 seats that it was contesting. Senior leaders of both the BJP and the Congress accompanied the party nominees while submitting different sets of nomination papers.
