A black condolence banner with the pictures of former chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda and BJP state president Nalin Kumar Kateel sprang up near the KSRTC bus stand in Puttur, leaving BJP leaders beet-red in embarrassment. The Puttur police have arrested two youths in this connection.
The black banner, decked with a garland of footwear, offered “condolences” to Gowda and Kateel for ensuring a humiliating defeat to the BJP candidate in the Puttur Assembly segment. Due to a triangular contest, BJP candidate Asha Thimmappa Gowda, who polled 37,558 votes, was pushed to third position.
MLA Ashok Kumar Rai Kodambady had polled 66,607 votes and defeated BJP rebel independent candidate Arun Kumar Puthila by a margin of 4,149 votes. The BJP supporters, who have been trolling Kateel on social media, installed the banner taking potshots at the caste miscalculations of both Kateel and Gowda.
The banner also resulted in a section of BJP leaders staging a dharna and demanding the arrest of miscreants who had installed the banner. Later, the Puttur police intervened and had the banner removed. The police also promised to track down the culprits who had installed the banner.
The Puttur police arrested two youth from Narimogru in this connection. The arrested were identified as Vishwanath and Madhava. Efforts are on to track down the other persons involved, police sources said. Police initiated action after Puttur municipal commissioner filed a complaint alleging defacement of public
property.
MLA Ashok Kumar Rai Kodimbady lashed out at former BJP MLA for declaring that the banner with a condolence message was the handiwork of Congress workers. He said Congress workers do not stoop to such low level.