Mangalore, May 31: Asha Thimmappa Gowda and Satish Kumpala, both from BJP, were on Saturday May 31 unanimously elected president and vice-president respectively of Dakshina Kannada zilla panchayat (ZP). Both were elected unopposed, as Congress did not nominate any candidates. Ultimately, there were only two applications, both from BJP.
Addressing reporters after her win, Asha Thimmappa Gowda said, “My party has given me this position and opportunity. My dream is to make Dakshina Kannada a model district, and for this, I need the support of all 35 members of ZP. I also need guidance from former ZP presidents and vice-presidents. There are many problems facing the district pertaining to basic amenities, like scarcity of drinking water and cleanliness. To resolve these problems we need support from all members.”
Satish Kumpala said, “I feel lucky to be elected the vice-president of ZP. The president is like my sister. It is a great moment indeed. We need support from all members for the development of the district. We already have the support of everyone, and I am sure that in future also all will support us. We have a good MP (Nalin Kumar), a union railway minister and three ministers of state. We will implement new programmes for the development of the district. I will work sincerely and promptly,” he added.
The elections were held at ZP office with regional commissioner M V Jayanti as the election officer. Addition regional commissioner B Ramu, ZP CEO Tulasi Maddineni and others were present.