Bagalkot: In what was potentially a major shock to many, Congress leader and former minister Ajaykumar Sarnaik was elected president of the Bagalkot District Central Co-operative (DCC) Bank, even though he did not have the required numbers.
In the results, which were announced on Friday, Sarnaik managed to gross eight votes, whereas BJP candidate Kumargouda Janali managed to get only six votes.
With a margin of just two votes, Sarnaik registered a victory for the second consecutive term in the chairman elections of the DCC Bank.
Now, Sarnaik is set to take charge for the third term in the last four periods.
Similarly, Murgesh Kadlimatti, an independent supported by the Congress, won the vice-chairman election by a margin of two votes against BJP candidate Prakash Tapshetti.
In the elections held for 13 board of directors of the DCC bank on November 5, six candidates supported by the BJP won, while five candidates backed by the Congress emerged victorious. Two newly elected directors are independents.
Among the two independent directors – one is a BJP rebel candidate from Badami, who supported the BJP and another is from the weavers’ co-operative society, who supported the Congress.
Elections for the post of chairman and vice-chairman were held on November 17. Even though six Congress-backed candidates won, the strength was reduced to five as former MLA Vijayananda Kashappanavar, unhappy at not being fielded as a candidate for chairman, boycotted the elections. The Congress gained the support of one of the independent directors, Murgesh Kadlimatti, who was fielded as the party’s representative for vice-chairman.
Even though the BJP won five seats, it also gained the support of its rebel candidate Kumargouda Janali and increased its strength to six. According to the norms of the co-operative bank, the representative of Apex Bank and the District Co-operative Sub-registrar also have the right to exercise their franchise in the chairman and vice-chairman elections of the DCC Bank.
Later, the state government appointed its representative for the DCC bank, after which everyone in the political arena expected the BJP to score an easy win.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders objected to the state government’s appointment and knocked on the doors of the High Court, which initially allowed the government’s nominee to vote. Later, however, it disqualified the vote in its judgement issued on November 25.
Prakash Tapashetti, holding the district leaders responsible for his loss in the vice-chairman elections, said, “It is because of adjustment politics that we lost even though we had a majority. I will bring this to the notice of the party high command.
