Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Jan 15: The high court on Monday quashed the reservation list published by the state government for wards of urban bodies and asked it to redraw the list strictly as per rotation process within two weeks in respect of certain local urban bodies about which objections had been raised, accusing the government of meddling with the system.

This development has made the things complicated and there are doubts whether the corporation election could be completed within two weeks. As Lok Sabha election and school examinations would also be due during this period, the chances of the corporation election being held before Lok Sabha election are remote.

While leader of the opposition in the council, Premananda Shetty, feels that the government has undergone loss of face for meddling in the matter by making large scale changes from the draft list published earlier, whip of the council, Shashidhar Hegde, insists that the government has the right to take decisions on ward reservations. City mayor, Bhaskar, says that the government may have to obey the court order. MLA, Vedavyas Kamath, felt that district in-charge minister, U T Khader, and Congress party have been shown in poor light because of this verdict as they tried to use the system to their advantage.

MLA, Dr Y bharath Shetty, felt that the order has inflicted reverses on Congress party which has the habit of doing illegal things. He feels that the verdict is like a censure for the government and wanted the concerned to conduct election strictly as per rotation system at least now.