Mon Feb 03 12:23:15 UTC 2025: ## Shivamogga Areca Election Heats Up Amidst Cancer Claims
**SHIVAMOGGA, Karnataka, February 3, 2025** – A heated political battle has erupted in Shivamogga, Karnataka, ahead of the Malnad Areca Marketing Cooperative Society Ltd (MAMCOS) elections on February 4th. The BJP and Congress are locked in a bitter exchange over accusations regarding the alleged carcinogenic nature of areca.
The dispute centers around the upcoming MAMCOS director elections, where 39 candidates are vying for 19 positions. Congress alleges that BJP leaders, including former Union Ministers Anupriya Patel and Ashwin Kumar Choubey, previously labeled areca as carcinogenic, causing distress among growers. They further deny claims by BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra that a 2013 UPA government affidavit linked areca to cancer, clarifying that the affidavit referred to tobacco and gutka instead.
Mr. Jnanendra, however, countered these claims, asserting that the BJP government is working to debunk these allegations through research. The Congress’s B.A. Ramesh Hegde dismissed this as a false campaign.
The election, involving 11,511 MAMCOS members, will take place across nine polling centers. The counting of votes will occur on the same day. The intense political maneuvering surrounding this election highlights the significant economic impact of the areca nut industry in the region.
First Piper 