Police wielded lathis when a group of Janata Dal (Secular) workers staged a protest over the selection of candidates for the posts of president and vice-president of the zilla panchayat, in Hassan on Thursday.
They also made a futile bid to enter ZP premises protesting against the decision of the party bosses for naming B D Chandregowda as the candidate for the president’s post.
In the 40 member house, JD(S) has got 33 members, BJP five and Congress two members. Lakhsmangowda, Devegowda (Papanni), Bairamudi Chandru and Satyanarayan were in the race for the president’s post. The party leaders had held a meeting on Wednesday and decided the candidate. However, the name of the candidate kept as a closely guarded secret and was announced on Thursday morning.
The supporters of Satyanarayana and Bairamudi Chandru gathered in large numbers in front of the zilla panchayat thinking that their respective leaders would become president.
When the District JD (S) president, H K Javaregowda announced that Chandregowda is the party’s official candidate for the president’s post, the supporters of Satyanarayana and Bairamudi Chandru resorted to a snap strike protest in front of the Traveller’s Bungalow and shouted slogans against the leaders. Later, they came to the ZP’s office and staged protest against the candidature of Chandregowda.
In the melee, some activists burst crackers which shocked the agitating party workers.
This resulted in staging rasta roko by the agitators. A protester threw his mobile phone inside the meeting hall to express his ire.
They tried to enter inside the zilla panchayat by throwing the metal barricades put up by the cops as a precautionary measure.
Sensing trouble, the police resorted to lathi charge and dispersed the agitators. The party workers fled the scene.
In another development, the party leaders have fixed the term of each president and vice-president to four and a half months as against the 20-months term prescribed the government to satisfy all the aspirants. If that happens, Hassan ZP will see 12 presidents in the next five years.
The JD(S) had adopted a similar strategy of eight-month tenure for each president in the last term to avoid dissidents in the party. Meanwhile, Javaregowda and MLA H S Prakash said Chandregowda would be in power for just four and a half months and then he would resign as per internal understanding within the party. After seeking Chandregowda’s resignation, Salagame ZP member Satyanarayana would be made the president.