Farmers’ body to enter local polls, plans protest against India-U.S. pact

The district executive meeting of Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha held at the Agricultural Marketing Research Institute auditorium here on Saturday resolved to contest the upcoming Zilla Panchayat and Taluk Panchayat elections in select constituencies under the Suryodaya Karnataka Party banner.

The meeting also decided to organise a two-day programme to mobilise farmers and raise awareness on key issues.

Expressing concern over the proposed India–US agreement, the leaders termed it a “serious challenge” to the farming community and resolved to participate in a nationwide agitation opposing the pact.

In another key resolution, the Sangha decided to mount pressure on the State government to allot land at Yelwal near Mysuru for installing a statue of late KRRS leader K.S. Puttanaiah.

The meeting elected new office-bearers for Mysuru taluk: Anandur Prabhakar as President, Mandakalli Mahesh as General Secretary, Kenchalagudu Basappa Nayak as Working President, Naganahalli Chandrashekar as Secretary, and Kumar (Gudu Madanahalli), Mudduraju (Kenchalagudu), and Kochanahalli Mahesh as Vice-Presidents.

State president Badagalapura Nagendra, Divisional Organising Secretary Hoskote Basavaraju, Women’s Secretary Nethravathi, District president Hosuru Kumar, General Secretary P. Marankayya, along with office-bearers from various taluks and over 150 activists, attended the meeting.