Former Doordarshan additional director general Mahesh Joshi is likely to emerge as the next president of the 106-year-old Kannada Sahitya Parishat (KSP) even as he has polled 43% of the total votes cast.
Voting to elect a new KSP president was held on Sunday. The election result will be officially announced on November 24.
Joshi had said he was not personally associated with any political party and that he also had the support of JD(S) and Congress leaders. However, BJP Bengaluru Central president G Manjunath on Monday put out a congratulatory message on social media hailing Joshi's election and thanking party workers for striving towards his victory. Even the RSS, the BJP's ideological parent, is said to have backed Joshi.
The Kannada Sahitya Parishat is the premier representative of Kannada-speaking people.
Joshi has secured 68,525 votes. This is more than three times the votes secured by Joshi's nearest rival Shekargowda Malipatil (22,357 votes). Totally, there are 21 candidates vying for the president's post.
As many as 1.59 lakh voters had exercised their franchise in the polls. A total of 3.05 lakh voters were eligible for voting. Polling percentage of the elections was at 52.09%.
Watch latest videos by DH here:
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks