BJP approves Nitin Pikle’s candidature for Karwar CMC president’s post

Karwar: Dissenting voices within the party notwithstanding, the

Uttara Kannada

district unit of the BJP was able to get the functionaries to ‘unanimously’ nominate

Nitin Pikle

and Prakash Naik respectively as its candidates for the post of president and vice-president of the Karwar

City Municipal Council

(CMC). Meanwhile, the BJP selected Shantala Nadkarni and Rekha Goankar as its candidates for the president and vice-presidents posts respectively for the

Ankola

CMC. The election to the top posts in the two municipalities in Uttara Kannada district is scheduled on Sunday.

Both the Congress and the BJP have 11 members each in the 30-member strong Karwar CMC. However, with former minister and JD(S) leader Anand Asnotikar pledging the support of four of the party’s councillors, and those of two Independents, to the BJP’s candidates, the balance has tilted in the favour of the saffron party. Despite considerable opposition within the local BJP unit in Karwar to the nomination of Pikle to the president’s post in the municipality, dissenting members were warned of disciplinary action by the party’s top brass, coupled with the issuance of the whip to all the councillors, ensured that those opposed to the decision fell in step with the party’s decision.

The dissent within the party having been quelled, and Asnotikar having pledged support to the party’s candidate, the likelihood of the BJP getting Pikle and Naik elected to the top posts seems very high.

In addition to Asnotikar, Satish Sail of the Congress is reportedly keen on joining the BJP. Asnotikar has been trying to return to the BJP – he served as a minister in BS Yediyurappa’s cabinet in 2008 – but his attempts have been foiled by Uttara Kannada MP Anantkumar Hegde.

Meanwhile, Pikle, if elected to the president’s post, will become the third member in his family to hold the position, his uncle MR Pikle and father SR Pikle having both occupied it before. In Ankola, Shantala, should she win the polls on Sunday, will have followed in the footsteps of her husband, who had served as the president a decade ago of what was then Ankola Town Panchayat.