The Congress will begin a 46-day process for selecting the new president for Dakshina Kannada District Congress Committee. Incumbent and former MLC K. Harish Kumar’s five-year term has ended.

Talking to reporters in Mangaluru on July 27, Mr. Kumar said the party has initiated the process for selecting presidents for its 31 district units. He, and other incumbents, who have finished their five-year term in the post, are not allowed by the party’s rules to file nomination for the post of district president.

Interested party workers can file their nomination before the four-member party committee comprising former MP Jayaprakash Hegde, Udupi District Congress President Veronica Cornelio, party workers Satish and Shivanand. MLA from Kerala’s Kozhikode (North) Assembly constituency, K. Jayanath, has been nominated by the AICC as observer for the process.

Mr. Kumar said the committee will start receiving nominations from party workers from July 28. From July 29 to August 11, the committee will visit 17 party blocks in Dakshina Kannada and consult senior party workers and civilians about the aspirants. On August 12, the committee will hold consultations in the district Congress office before sending a list of six party workers. Based on the feedback from the committee, the AICC will announce the names of the district Congress president. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will call all newly-selected district presidents to New Delhi for talks.

Mr. Kumar said though there is no restriction on age for an aspirant, the party prefers youth to lead the party at the district level.

Expressing satisfaction over the progress of the Special Intensive Revision exercise in Dakshina Kannnada, the DKDCC chief said not all Block Level Agents of the party have wholesomely participated in the exercise. As all the Booth Level Officers in the district were not trained in the SIR exercise, voters were facing issues in filling up the enumeration form in the correct way.

“The party will wait for declaration of the draft electoral roll after August 8, study the deleted names, and provide necessary assistance for inclusion of those names in the electoral roll. We stay committed to the cause that no single eligible voter is denied the right to vote,” Mr. Kumar said.

Mr. Kumar, who is chairperson of MESCOM, said the ongoing survey on the 200 units of free power under Gruha Jyothi scheme, will go on till August 31. “So far, 75% of survey work has been completed in Dakshina Kannada. There is no question of removing any bonafide beneficiary out of the scheme,” he said.

Published - July 27, 2026 04:35 pm IST