Shashidhar flays IT officials, MLA

However, the attempts to stop him from contesting for the election have gone in vain, with the High Court’s order to add his name in the contenders list in Mullusoge Gram Panchayat.

Speaking to media persons here on Friday, he said that as per the election rules, ZP or TP election contestant must be the common resident of a place. There is no prescribed rule mentioning anywhere that the contestant has to be residing in a place for more than six months. “I have been residing in various rented houses from past two years.

Owing to few personal reasons, I have been shifting my house every now and then. As of now, I am residing in a rented house at Omkara residential layout in Mullusoge.

But unfortunately, due to the instruction from MLA Appachu Ranjan, the village assistants have filed a petition objecting my nomination as I am not the resident of the village,” he stated.

Further, briefing about the regulations followed by a contender, he said that it is quite common for an aspiring election contender to ask for transfer of name in the election list under 8-A format.

“On the same format, I submitted the application form on November 25,” he said and complained that one of the party leaders from Suntikoppa Zilla Panchayat constituency has filed objection against Shashidhar on November 18, even before he submitted a plea asking for transfer.

But the High Court questioned the objection letter and ordered to include Shashidhar’s name in the election list before December 20, he said.

Shashidhar came down heavily on MLA Appachu Ranjan for violating the rules prescribed in the constitution and asked Ranjan to work without any bias.

“Earlier a group of people tried to curb my voice by lodging complaint against me under SC/ST Act and now the similar kind of forces have tried to curb my right to contest in the election,” he alleged.

Meanwhile, he also challenged the MLA to confront him in the forthcoming election and he asked the district administration to take steps for the smooth functioning of the elections, where the voice of the contestants is not curbed.

 If the administration fails to take action in this regard, Shashidhar has warned of staging a severe protest in the days to come.

He has informed of submitting the nomination form on Monday, if the Congress party lets him to contest from Suntikoppa Zilla Panchayat.

HC order

Kodagu Zilla Panchayat member V P Shashidhar whose election nomination form was rejected by Somwarpet Tahsildar on Monday, has submitted the High Court order received in his favour, to the Taluk Election Commissioner Dr M R Ravi on Saturday.

The Election Commissioner, who listened to the clarifications of V P Shashidhar and his advocate Nagendra Babu, directed Tahsildar Devaraj to abide by the High Court order and to re-examine the earlier rejected nomination form before Sunday noon.

It could be recalled that nomination form of V P Shashidhar was rejected sighting the reasons that he is not the resident of Mullusoge. Following the rejection, Shashidhar had filed a writ petition in High Court on December 16, against Tahsildar for rejecting the nomination form.