Shirasi
The Uttara Kannada District Cooperative Central Bank (DCC Bank) elections have shown a clear lead for the faction of MLA and incumbent president Shivaram Hebbar. Voting was held for 13 constituencies, while two candidates from the ministerial faction and one from Hebbar’s faction were elected unopposed. So far, the results of four constituencies—Mundagoda, Haliyal, Joya, and Kumta—have been officially declared.
In Kumta, Rajagopal Aad of the Hebbar faction secured 9 votes, defeating rivals Gajanan Pai and Sridhar Bhagwat, who got 6 votes each. Haliyal saw S.L. Ghotnekar winning with 9 votes, while Subhas Korvekar received 4. Krishna Desai from Joya obtained 5 votes against Purushottam Kamath’s 4, and in Mundagoda, S.M. Nayak won with 8 votes, leaving L.T. Patil with 5.
Counting for Siddapur and eight other constituencies has been postponed due to ongoing court orders. Despite this, candidates such as Prakash Gunagi (Karwar), Shivaram Hebbar (Yellapur), Ravi Hegde Hulagol (Sirsi TMS Marketing), and Vishwanath Bhat Karva (Industrial faction) are leading and expected to secure victory once results are finalized. Three candidates leading belong to Hebbar’s faction and one to the Vaidya faction.
Several constituencies remain under court review. For instance, in the Urban and Souharda constituencies, 48 votes are yet to be counted, while the Milk Producers and Consumer Processing constituencies also await court-reviewed votes. Despite this, victories for certain candidates, including Prakash Gunagi, Ravi Hegde, and Shivaram Hebbar, are already considered certain.
In Sirsi Pax and Bellekeri, a close contest continues between M.A. Hegde and G.R. Hegde. The final outcome may depend on court decisions regarding delegate votes, which could determine ticket selection.
The election, marked by fierce competition between Hebbar and ministerial factions led by Mankala Vaidya, has seen high public interest and legal scrutiny. Local observers say that Hebbar’s faction currently holds an advantage, with several constituencies already favoring their candidates.
