Mangaluru : District In-charge Minister U T Khader clarified on Thursday that he was not aspiring for a Lok Sabha ticket from Dakshina Kannada constituency.

He told reporters at Circuit House that the leaders at AICC and KPCC-levels had discussed the selection of candidates in the forthcoming elections. “The high command will finalise on the candidate. In our party, everyone has a right to demand ticket and this is the beauty of democracy within the party,” Khader stressed.

When asked for the name of the candidate, Khader joked, “The right-hand palm is the symbol of our party. People will vote for the palm. The candidate will be finalised by the high command and an official announcement will be made soon.” When asked about women candidates being fielded in the elections, Khader said preference will be given to winning candidates.

He said the deadline to seek property cards was extended by 3 more months. “The system is being upgraded as there are many errors in the present system. Technical problems have delayed issuing of property cards. We will set up additional counters and expedite the process,” he added.