Mangaluru : The Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee on Friday released the party candidates list for the upcoming zilla panchayat elections.

Releasing the list of 36 candidates in the presence of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee observer and former Legislative Council chairman V.R. Sudarshan here, Mr. B. Ramanath Rai said it was prepared as per the guidelines by the KPCC, ensuring social justice. Asked about Billavas dominating the list, Mr. Rai said the vulnerable class had been given more prominence.

Billavas are followed by Muslims (6), Christians, Bunts and Gowdas (4 each), Scheduled Castes (3), Scheduled Tribes (2) and Jain, Rajapur Saraswat Brahmin, Ganiga and Gatti (1 each).

Only four of the 11 outgoing Congress members in the Dakshina Kannada Zilla Panchayat featured in the list—M.S. Mohammed, Mamata Gatti (former ZP president), Saraswati Kamath and Chandra Prakash Shetty. Anita Hemanath Shetty, wife of former Puttur Block Congress president Kavu Hemanath Shetty, also features in the list. She is contesting from the Nettanige-Mudnur constituency.

Mr. Sudarshan said that the list was final and no other party worker should file nomination papers defying the party diktat. If anyone did so, disciplinary action would follow, he warned. Mr. Sudarshan appealed to the cadres to work united for the victory of party candidates.

Asked whether dissidence was already brewing given the reported scuffle between Mr. Rai and Puttur MLA Shakuntala Shetty over selection of candidates in Puttur on Friday, Mr. Sudarshans said there was no dissidence. Mr. Rai clarified that such issues crop up over selection of candidates and would get mutually addressed. Ms. Shetty, who was present, nodded her head in affirmation.

Asked about the list of candidates for taluk panchayat elections, Mr. Sudarshan said taluk units of the party would release the list on Tuesday, after direction to that effect by DCC on Monday. He also said Ivan D’ Souza, MLC, had been made in-charge of the campaign committee for the district.

Billavas dominated the list of candidates announced by. even as DCC president B. Ramanath Rai claimed that for the first time the party had announced candidates for all the constituencies at one go.

The list of candidates is as follows:
Pramod Kumar – Kinnigoli;
Chandrahasa Sanil – Puttige;
Sumitra – Shirtadi;
Shaila Sequeira – Kateel;
Maimuna Nisaar – Bajpe;
Krishna Amin – Edapadav;
UP Ibrahim – Gurpur;
Seema D’Souza – Neermarga;
Rasheeda Banu – Konaje;
Lakshmi Poojary – Someshwar;
Mailappa Salian – Sangabettu;
Padmashekhar Jain – Sarapadi;
Umar Farooque – Pudu;
Bharathi R Poojary – Goltamajalu;
Manjula Madhav Bave – Mani;
MS Mohammad – Kolnadu;
Mamata Gatti – Kurnadu;
Chandraprakash Shetty – Sajipamunnooru;
Chethana – Punacha;
P Dharaneendra Kumar – Naravi;
Shekhar Kukkedi – Aladangadi;
Shobha N Gowda – Laila;
Namitha – Ujire;
B Ramesh – Dharmasthala;
Shahul Hameed – Kaniyooru;
haral Jeene Noronha – Kuvettu;
Anitha Keshava Gowda – Uppinangadi;
Sarvottam Gowda – Nellyadi;
PP Varghese – Kadaba;
Sathish Kedanje – Belandooru;
Pavithra B – Panaje;
Anitha Hemanath Shetty – Nettanige Mudnooru;
Rajeevi Rai – Bellare;
Vimala Tangaiah – Guttigaru;
Saraswati Kamath – Jalsooru;
Madhav Gowda – Arantodu.