Mangalore, April 16, 2013
With the Congress announcing the candidature of Shakunthala Shetty an import from BJP in Puttur, the battle lines for all the eight constituencies in Dakshina Kannada are finalized. Congress third list cleared the name of Shakunthala Shetty, former MLA who joined the Congress in February this year.
Shakunthala is one among the 10 women candidates out of the total 215 announced by the party in the state so far. Shakunthala Shetty gets the ticket despite strong opposition from Block Congress President Kavu Hemanath Shetty, who camped in Delhi for weeks opposing her candidature.
Shakunthala Shetty will face BJP’s Sanjeeva Matandoor in this prestigious constituency where much is at stake than a mere win.
In Mangalore North the Congress chose Moideen Bava though Vijay Kumar Shetty and Kripa Alva were strong contenders for the ticket. But the Congress rank and file is not happy Bava getting the ticket and it is now a foregone conclusion even among Congress workers that BJP’s tainted minister Krishna Palemar is going to win hands down. It is said that Bava does not have the support of his own community people whereas Palemar has nursed the constituency well winning over even the minorities to his camp.
In Mangalore constituency two-time MLA U T Khader apart from facing Chandrahas Ullal of BJP is facing opposition from about 150 Congressmen who call themselves as loyal party men and they have vowed to ensure Khader’s defeat. These dissident Congressmen have decided to field an independent candidate against Bava. But a much larger danger is lurking at Khader in the form of Social Democratic Party of India which has fielded Akram Hassan as its candidate.
In Mangalore South constituency the fight between BJP’s Yogish Bhat and bureaucrat turned Congress candidate J R Lobo is keenly watch by all. The Congress which is smarting under the recent win in ULB elections is in a buoyant mood and is bent upon giving a severe blow to the BJP in its own turf.
SDPI had decided to field its candidate from seven constituencies in Dakshina Kannada except Belthangady. The threat posed by SDPI cannot be taken lightly considering that SDPI is steadily gaining ground in this coastal region. The party created a shock of sorts when its candidate Ayez defeated sitting Mayor Gulzar Banu in the recently concluded ULB elections. Hence there is the possibility of Muslim vote getting split in Mangalore which might be a little worrisome to the Congress.
In Karkala the fight is between sitting MLA Gopal Bhandari a Congress veteran taking on BJP’s young face Sunil Kumar, a RSS face, a repeat of 2008 scenario.
In Moodbidri the fight is between Congress MLA Abhaychandra Jain and JD(S) veteran and former minister K Amarnatha Shetty. BJP has field Umanath Kotian from here, which is traditionally a Congress stronghold.
four- time BJP MLA S Angara will face the challenge of Dr Raghu of Congress in Sullia. The constituency is believed to be a safe to the BJP.
Belthangady will witness fight between veteran Vasantha Bangera of Congress against a young face in Ranjan Gowda of BJP.
The battle in Puttur is going to be a prestigious one considering that former chief minister Sadananda Gowda has a lot at stake here as it is his home town. But the fact that in constituencies like Puttur and Sullia it is not the candidate but the party that matters and the caste factor also will play a vital role.
As of now the battle lines are clearly drawn in Dakshina Kannada and the real picture will emerge only after April 20, the last date for withdrawal of nominations.
