Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Polls: AAP fields youngest contestant, candidates flout Covid norms
Hubballi: The HDMC polling will be held from 7:00 AM. to 6:00 PM on Sept. 3 and if needed, re-polling will be carried on Sept. 5, reports The Hindu.
In all, there are 420 nominees in the fray, polling will be held on September 3. Almost all the ruling party leaders, including MLA Jagadish Shettar, Union Minister Prahlad Joshi, new minister Shankar Munenakoppa, MLC Praddep Shettar, and Dharwad MLA Aravind Bellad were seen campaigning for the candidates.
Deputy Commissioner of Hubli-Dharwad Nitesh Patil said counting of votes will be taken up on Sept. 6 at the University of Agricultural Sciences in Dharwad.
A 21-year-old lady, a commerce graduate, is on the fray for Hubli-Dharwad Municipal Polls and has plans to develop the twin cities.
Hubli-Dharwad : Rohini Somanakatti youngest candidate
Rohini Somanakatti passed BCom last year and now has filed her nomination to content the local polls from ward-39 in Hubballi. She will be contesting as an Aam Aadmi Party led by Delhi CM Aravind Kejriwal.
Rohini hails from a middle-class family and works for a nationalized bank in Hubli for Rs 20,000 a month.
“As I pursued my primary and high school education at a government school in Vishweshwara Nagar, I used to think how to develop the state-run schools on the lines of private schools. When I used to travel by bus during my college days, I was disgusted with the worst roads in Hubballi.
“Except for KIMS, the medical infrastructure in Hubballi is poor. Despite paying types of taxes, commoners are still deprived of the rightful facilities. When these thoughts were going on in my mind, I saw an invitation from the Aam Aadmi Party for membership. I met AAP national leader Romi Bhati and other leaders two months ago, and after a thorough interview, the party chose me to contest in HDMC poll.” she said to the Hubli Times.
HDMC polls: Candidates flout Covid norms
Even as the menace of a likely third wave of the pandemic looms large, campaigns for municipal elections are progressing unabated in the Hubli-Dharwad, throwing Covid protocols and guidelines to the wind. The State Election Commission has permitted only five people, including the applicant, to do door-to-door campaigns by adhering to Covid rules. But, many contestants are ridiculing the norms.
