Mysore/Mysuru: Senior Congress leader Doddaswamegowda was elected unopposed as President and Y.N. Jayaramu of Yelandur taluk  as the Vice-President of the city-based Mysuru-Chamarajanagar District Co-operative Central Bank (MCDCC Bank) in the elections held here yesterday.

The election process began at the Bank premises located at Nehru Circle on Ashoka Road at 9 am with the filing of nomination papers for President and Vice-President posts of the Bank, with newly elected 13 Directors of the Bank forming the electorate.

Congress backed candidate Doddaswamegowda, who is the father of K.R. Nagar Congress MLA D. Ravishankar, filed his nomination for the President post and Y.N. Jayaramu, who was elected unopposed as a Director from Yelandur taluk in Chamarajanagar district, filed his nomination for the  Vice-President post.

The Congress party, which is the ruling party in the State, had the support of 10 Directors, while the Opposition JD(S)-BJP combine had the backing of just 3 Directors. As no other candidates filed nomination for both the posts in the stipulated time, Doddaswamegowda of the Congress was declared elected unopposed as the President, while Y.N. Jayaramu of Yelandur was declared elected unopposed as the Vice-President by the Returning Officer Ashappa, who is the Mysuru                                                  Assistant Commissioner.

Though former Janata Bazar President S. Chandrashekar too was a strong aspirant for the President post, Doddaswamegowda, who had the strong backing of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, eventually succeeded in convincing the Congress supported Directors to support him for the Bank’s top post. CM Siddaramaiah is said to have played a key role in getting support for Doddaswamegowda.

Soon after he was declared elected unopposed as the President, Doddaswamegowda was greeted by his supporters who stood waiting for him outside the Bank premises. The supporters burst crackers in celebration and raised slogans hailing him, besides garlanding him and presenting bouquets.

Later, Doddaswamegowda and Jayaramu met District in-Charge Minister Dr. H.C. Mahadevappa separately and thanked him for his co-operation.

MLAs D. Ravishankar, Anil Chikkamadu, K. Harishgowda, C. Puttarangashetty and H.M. Ganesh Prasad, former Hanur MLA R. Narendra, Bank Administrative Officer K.M. Asha,  CEO R.G. Kantharaj and others were present.