SHIVAMOGGA: This year’s Dasara has turned out to be a corporator-versus-commissioner episode with the commissioner accusing the BJP corporator of “speaking in a threatening manner” and the corporator blaming the Shivamogga City Corporation officials for “lukewarm response to the Dasara celebrations.”
Following the “unexpected” by-elections to Shivamogga Lok Sabha constituency, the district administration has kept people’s representatives away from official Dasara celebrations. Somal has lodged a complaint at Kote police station against corporator S N Channabasappa.
In the FIR, she alleged that when she was working at her office to prepare for the elections, the corporator called her up and made ‘false’ allegations with regard to Dasara celebrations. “Even though the corporator knew that Dasara is a low-key affair due to the by-election, the accused obstructed to deliver election duty. Besides, he also said I know nothing of Dasara and it should be celebrated in a grand manner. The way he spoke was scary,” Somal stated in her complaint.
Channabasappa told Express that he spoke to the commissioner for only two minutes and suggested Dasara be held on a grand note as there is a lukewarm response to the celebration.