MYSURU: The list of non-official members for 16 Dasara sub-committees has been announced and it is nothing short of a record.
A staggering 2,219 members have been named as chairpersons, vice-presidents and members across different committees, sparking discontent in political circles.
From political veterans to youth leaders from Congress have been included in the list. From yoga to wrestling, food mela to cultural events, each committee boasts of over a hundred members.
The Jamboo Savari (procession) and Yuva Dasara committees top the chart with 155 members each, while the Yoga Dasara sub-committee has 135 members. Committees such as illumination and Kavi Goshti (poets’ meet) carry more than 120 names.
Political veterans too have found space. Former zoo authority chairperson Mallige Veeresh is the chairperson of the Women and Child Dasara committee, while former corporator KV Mallesh heads the Cultural Dasara committee. But the frustration is not just about the record numbers. Congress workers from across Mysuru and neighbouring districts, who lobbied hard for berths, are expressing frustration at the timing.
“Every year, the names come late. The officers do all the work, and we are left as mere names on paper,” said a senior Congress worker, adding that lobbying for the posts has become more about visibility than responsibility.
While the jumbo-sized committees showcase the ruling party’s bid to accommodate its cadre and allies, a senior retired police officer said it reflects patronage politics at its peak.
Symbolic Cauvery Aarti at KRS Dam from September 26-30
With the Karnataka High Court staying the state government’s ambitious Rs 100-crore Cauvery Aarti project at KRS Dam, a symbolic Cauvery Aarti will instead be held at the dam site in Srirangapatna taluk from September 26 to 30.
Announcing this at a press conference in Srirangapatna on Tuesday, Sri Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC) chairman and Srirangapatna MLA Ramesh Babu Bandisiddegowda said the symbolic aarti will be observed for five days with a range of cultural programmes. Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar and Mandya district in-charge minister N Chaluvarayaswamy will inaugurate the event on September 26.
As part of Nada Habba Srirangapatna Dasara-2025, various programmes are lined up from September 25 to 28. Kannada film director T S Nagabharana will flag off the Srirangapatna Jamboo Savari procession on September 25 at 2.30 pm from Kiranguru Bannimantap.
Later that evening, Chaluvarayaswamy will inaugurate the Srirangapatna Dasara Cultural programmes at Srirangana Vedike on the Ranganathaswamy temple premises.