A BJP protest campaign demanding elections to local government bodies began in Puttur on Monday, with party leaders accusing the Karnataka government of delaying municipal polls and restricting development funding. The campaign included a foot march through the town and a demonstration outside the Puttur city municipal council, followed by the submission of a memorandum to the municipal commissioner.
The campaign, titled ‘Namma Hakkigaagi Namma Hejje’ and ‘Namma Hakku Namage Kodi’, was organised by the BJP Puttur constituency committee. The march began near the Anjaneya temple at Bolwar and proceeded through the town’s main road before ending near the Amar Jawan memorial close to Kille Maidan, where a protest meeting was held.
Kishore Kumar, a BJP member of the Legislative Council, alleged that the Congress-led state government had failed to hold elections to local government bodies and was administering them through officials. He claimed that this had affected local governance and caused injustice to residents. Kumar also alleged that several Central government schemes had been withdrawn and that development works had been stalled. These claims were made at the protest meeting and were not accompanied in the report by a response from the state government.
Kumar further alleged that the government had not provided a single house under any housing scheme and accused it of misusing tax revenues. He also claimed that the High Court had criticised the government over the delay in conducting local body elections, but the report did not provide details of the court proceedings or order.
Jivandhar Jain, who was in charge of the programme, said the term of the Puttur city municipal council had ended a year earlier. He claimed that, during the BJP’s administration, funds had been distributed among all 31 municipal wards without political discrimination. Jain also said the Central government had provided ₹2 crore through the 15th Finance Commission, while the state government had provided ₹1.50 crore over three and a half years. The figures and comparisons were presented by the BJP leaders during the protest.
The dispute places the timing of local elections at the centre of Puttur’s civic administration debate. Elected councils are responsible for local decisions on municipal works and public services, while officials administer bodies whose elected terms have ended. The protest leaders said the absence of elections had weakened local accountability and affected development activity.
The campaign also took a political turn when Kumar warned that the BJP would hold a protest outside the Puttur MLA’s residence if, according to him, the legislator continued making derogatory references to BJP leaders. The statement was made during the protest meeting.
The event was attended by BJP district and local office-bearers, including Dayananda Shetty Ujiremara, Shivakumar Kallimar, Prasanna Martha, Vidya R. Gowri, R.C. Narayan and Rajesh Bannur. Vishva Hindu Parishad Karnataka vice-president U. Poovappa formally launched the foot march. The immediate administrative next step was the submission of the memorandum to the Puttur municipal commissioner, while the broader campaign is expected to continue across local bodies in the constituency.
