Disqualified MLA and BJP candidate from Athani Assembly constituency Mahesh Kumatahalli is facing opposition in his own village.
“Athani is the sacred place of Shivayogi. Entry barred for disqualified MLA who sold his position for money” read a board installed at Telasanga village in Athani taluk, the native place of Kumatahalli.
However, there was no information on the person/organisation who installed the board. A flex board with the recent statement of retired Lokayukta Santosh Hegde about people voting for disqualified MLAs was also found in the village. “The people of Tamil Nadu, Maharasthra and Gujarat have voted against defectors. Even if one disqualified MLA wins election in Karnataka it implies that the voters of that constituency have pawned themselves for money and liquor,” Hegde had said.
The police came to know about the boards and brought the matter to the notice of the election officials. The Panchayat Development Officer removed the boards and lodged a complaint with the police.