Mangaluru (TNN): Majority of candidates elected unopposed to various gram panchayat constituencies in Dakshina Kannada district are those backed by the BJP, noted state BJP executive committee member K Monappa Bhandary. Out of 109 candidates elected unopposed, 71 are backed by the BJP, the former MLA said adding this is a clear indicator of how the final results in Dakshina Kannada district will go and where the party will win at least 60% of the seats.
Addressing reporters here on Saturday, Bhandary said out of the 71 party backed candidates, 19 are from Sullia, 18 from Bantwal, 16 from Mangaluru, 11 from Puttur, six from Moodbidri, and one from Mangaluru North assembly constituency limits. This is also an indication that the rural electorate will favour the BJP backed candidates in the polls, he said, adding Congress leadership is trying hard to distort this ground reality with a series of well laid out falsehoods.
One such falsehood, Bhandary said is the claim made by Congress MLC Ivan D'Souza that the department of rural development and panchayati raj (RDPR) has addressed the issue of sale and sub-division of family property in rural areas. Locally known as the '9/11' issue, Bhandary said officials of RDPR have confided in him that that there is no change in the issue and only change is that powers of sub-division has been transferred from taluk to the gram panchayats.
However with lack of clarity on how this devolution of powers to the panchayat development officer in the gram panchayat is to work on the ground, Bhandary said problems faced by the people are far from over. This is nothing but a blatant attempt on part of the Congress leaders in the district to digress attention of the voters in the rural areas who are greatly affected by the '9/11' issue, he said, adding the discerning voters in Dakshina Kannada will see through this lie.
