Mysuru :

The adivasi (primitive tribe) community is largely sidelined by political parties in the panchayat elections.

In spite of their population of 2.5 lakh in nine districts, the community is given only two zilla panchayat tickets.

The JD(S) has fielded one adivasi candidate in ZP Gonebeddu constituency in Mudigere (Chikkamagaluru district) and a primitive tribal is the Congress nominee in Hanagodu constituency in Mysuru district.

The BJP and the JD(S) have fielded one candidate each in taluk panchayat constituencies.

Adivasis have to be content with just six tickets in taluk panchayat elections.

The community is scattered over Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Chamarajnagar, Kodagu and Ramanagara distrricts.

Heggadevanakote has a population of 20,000 adivasis, Chamrajnagar about 15,000, Kodagu 40,000 including 25,000 in Virajpet taluk and Ramanagaram 15000.

Their leaders Dr Made Gowda and Konare Gowda and others knocked on the doors of big political parties seeking at least eight zilla panchayat and 30 taluk panchayat tickets. But their efforts have not yielded expected results.

Though, there was scope to field adivasis in Lokanahalli, Kawdhahalli, Haradanahalli in Chamrajnagar district, they were not considered.

All the three major political parties have given a good number of tickets for scheduled tribe constituencies to the dominant Nayaka community.

In Kodagu P K Muthu, a tribal leader is contesting in a general constituency and the JD(S) has fielded Muthappa in taluk panchayat polls.

Vivekananda Foundation Director Mallesh said the only consolation is that JD(S) has fielded a tribal for Yaragambahalli seat.

Development Through Education (DEED) president Sreekanth said non-forest tribes have managed to get a lion’s share of ST constituencies as political parties prefer dominant, financial strong and political active communities.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> States> Karnataka / by K. Shiva Kumar / February 09th, 2016