Bantwal : Chandrahasa Karkera and Abbas Ali B M of Congress party are elected as president and vice president respectively unopposed in the recent Bantwal Taluk panchayat elections. Assistant Commissioner Dr Ashok D R presided over the conduct of election process in taluk panchayat auditorium, B C Road on Tuesday, May 10.

The President and Vice President post this year was reserved for backward class A category.

Competition between Mudipu block congress president Chandrahasa Karkera and land development bank vice president Sanjiva Poojary. Senior Congress member and former Taluk panchayat vice president Chandrahasa Karkera names were finalize for the candidate for President and similarly Mangalore block president Abbas Ali as vice president.

Party leaders were present, when the nomination for President and vice President where filed on Tuesday morning at 11 am. As no one opposed their nominations , election were held at 3 pm and the new President and the Vice president were elected, unopposed. Tahsildar Purandara Hedge and executive officer Cyprian Miranda helped in the process.

There are 34 members in Bantwal Taluk panchayat. One position has increased due to re-division. Congress who has the majority, has 22 members and BJP have 12. It was easy for the Congress to become the ruling party.

Fireworks followed after District in charge minister B Ramanath Rai, Zilla panchayat members Chandraprakash Shetty, M S Mohammed, Padmashekar Jain, Manjula Madhava Mave, Mamatha Gatti, Akrama Sakrama committee president Mayilappa Salian, party leaders, activists and well-wishers garlanded and congratulated the new president and vice president.

The block presidents of Mudipu block and Panemangalore block who terms would be expiring soon, got elected as president and vice president . There will be elections in both the blocks. Chandrahasa Karkera has had experience since he was taluk panchayat, Vice President, in 2005,