Shivamogga DCC Bank elections: ‘BJP leaders want candidate to win to avoid scam investigation’

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders are showing unprecedented interest in the Shivamogga district Cooperative Central Bank elections scheduled for Friday to protect corrupt people who looted money in 98 recruitments, Indian National Congress leader Ayanur Manjunath said.

Addressing a press conference in Shivamogga on Thursday, Manjunath said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MPs and former chief ministers have shown interest in the elections. They have been calling individual voters to solicit votes for candidates supporting the BJP. “This has never happened before. Some voters are being offered cash to vote for a candidate,” he said.

When a BJP-backed organisation was in power in the bank, there was a scam in the recruitment of 98 employees. “The directors sold the posts for lakhs of rupees each. Each post was sold for Rs 4.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. Interestingly, immediately after the recruitment process, the new recruits were given loans, contrary to norms, even though they had not completed their probationary period. All of them were given loans in a day and the amount was withdrawn the same day. This development suggests that the candidates took the loans to repay outstanding dues to the directors who had recruited them,” he said.

BJP supporters do not want the matter to be investigated or the guilty punished. “So, they want their candidate to be elected to the board in the elections. There are also reports suggesting that BJP supporters may create security issues ahead of the elections so that the elections may be cancelled,” he alleged.

D Manjunath, a Shikaripur resident who had approached the court challenging the recruitment process, said the very manner in which the written test was conducted for applicants was in violation of rules. “I was also applying for a clerk post. During the exam, candidates were not allowed to take the question paper home. I immediately raised the issue, but no one paid any attention to it at the time. Following my petition, the high court sent a notice to the bank,” he said.

The election for directors of Shivamogga DCC Bank will be held on Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. As many as 27 candidates are in the fray for 12 posts.

District Congress President R Prasanna Kumar and others were present.