With his unanimous election as president of District Kannada Sahitya Parishat, Siddappa Hotti has put an end to curiosity among Kannada lovers and literary circles.
A 63-year-old Kannada activist, Mr. Hotti has come to occupy the post for the third time with a hat-trick of election victories.
In 2013, he defeated Venkappa Alemani and in 2016, Vishwanath Sirwar, in the elections. But, this year, for the first time he has been elected unanimously after his rival Srishail Pujari withdrew his nomination papers on Friday.
Both Mr. Hotti and Mr. Pujari filed their nomination papers for the parishat presidential elections on April 7.
Mr. Hotti has successfully conducted four District Kannada Sahitya Sammelans and five taluk Sahitya Sammelans right from his first tenure as parishat president.
“I must say thanks to all those who have supported me in my unanimous election. I want to continue my services to Kannada language, literature and others, including publishing books related to Kannada development,” Mr. Hotti said in a press conference in Yadgir on Friday after the election.
C.M. Pattedar, Ayyanna Hundekar, Subhaschndra Koulagi, S.S. Nayak, Bhimaraya Lingeri, Ghalappa Pujari, Srishail Pujari, R. Mahadevappa, Basavaraj Arali, Mallikarjun Karkalli, Shankrappa Gondenur, Subhash Ayarkar and others were present.
