Puttur: Congress approves Shakuntala Shetty's candidature?

Daijiworld Media Network – Puttur (SP)

Puttur, Apr 1: The taluk is agog with talks that former BJP MLA, Shakuntala Shetty, has been cleared as the party candidate by the Congress leadership for the ensuing assembly election from this constituency. The rumours got further thrust, after Shakuntala met her mentor, Rama Bhat on Sunday March 31 afternoon and held discussions with him.

BJP had refused to field Shakuntala Shetty after her first term as MLA. Angered by this, veteran BJP leader, Rama Bhat, and others had come out of BJP, and formed ‘Swabhimani Vedike’ with the support of some disgruntled BJP leaders, and fielded Shakuntala Shetty under this banner, as an independent candidate. She had got 25,171 votes in the last election, but had to suffer defeat at the hands of BJP candidate, Mallika Prasad.

Nudging aside the overtures of JDS, which was keen on getting her into its fold, Shakuntala Shetty had joined the Congress at a function held at Bangalore in the presence of former MP, Vinay Kumar Sorake. Thereafter, her name is being coined as a prospective candidate from Puttur constituency, along with block Congress president, Kavu Hemanath Shetty, entrepreneur, Nabhiraj Jain, A Navin Bhandary, and former zilla panchayat member, Bharat Mundody.

There was immense pressure on Sorake to enter the fray, but it is said he has extended support to Shakuntala Shetty’s nomination instead. Hemanath Shetty, it is said, has support from former union minister, Janardhan Poojary, while Nabhiraj Jain claimed the backing of opposition leader in the assembly, Siddaramaiah. A Navin Bhandary is said to have the blessings of union minister, M Veerappa Moily.

The group supporting  Shakuntala Shetty is buoyant now, supposedly because of the signals it has received from the party. However, the situation is quite fluid and fast-changing political developments can suddenly prop up any one of the above candidates, although at present it appears that Shakuntala Shetty has gained upper hand.