Bengaluru, 09 Oct (H.S.): The 88th All India Kannada Sahitya Sammelana proposed in Ballari has been delayed further, with uncertainty over the Kannada Sahitya Parishat’s leadership holding up the cultural gathering originally scheduled for December 2025.

The Parishat currently functions under a government-appointed administrator rather than an elected governing body. Sources said an elected committee was needed to convene the conference, leaving writers, readers and Kannada literary enthusiasts awaiting clarity on its organisation.

International Booker Prize winner Banu Mushtaq had been selected to preside over the Ballari conference. The previous edition, the 87th Sammelana, was held in Mandya in December 2024.

The administrative impasse followed allegations of financial irregularities and misuse of authority during the tenure of former Parishat president Mahesh Joshi. In September 2025, the Karnataka government replaced the elected governing body with an administrator following those allegations.

Since then, the absence of an elected leadership has remained a key obstacle to moving ahead with the Ballari event. Sources indicated that restoring the Parishat’s elected administration would be necessary before arrangements for the conference could progress.

Preparations for elections are now under way. The State government recently appointed an election officer, while work to revise the voter list is continuing, sources said.

The Parishat has more than 4.5 lakh registered voters. However, voting eligibility is restricted to those who have held membership for at least three years, making scrutiny and revision of the electoral rolls an important part of the process.

The previous Parishat election took place in 2021, when Joshi was elected president. Sources said the presidential term was five years.

For literary enthusiasts, the continuing delay prolongs the wait for the next edition of the gathering. Kannada and Culture Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi could not be reached for comment on the situation or the conference’s likely schedule.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Arun Lakshman