Mangalore, April 2, 2013:
By C D Souza
When the BJP is facing internal feud and scandals the Congress party is riding high in coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi as the recent trends have shown there is a Congress wave sweeping across the coastal region of Karnataka. Naturally there is an increased clamour for tickets from ticket aspirants for the 8 assembly seats each in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi. There is lot of suspense created by rumour mongers about the candidates both for Mangalore South and Mangalore North constituencies and this suspense has led to speculations about the names under consideration for these assembly seats. To add to the frustrations of both aspiring candidates and their supporters, rumours keep changing every passing day. Just a few days ago it was almost certain that Congress had favoured Ivan D Souza over bureaucrat turned politician J R Lobo as Ivan had the blessings of the Bishop. But in the last two days J R Lobo camp is upbeat as there are rumours that the balance has tilted in favour of J R Lobo.
There are a few who contend that Mangalore South constituency has become a bone of contention for supremacy between Janardhana Poojary and Oscar Fernandes camp and therefore there is intense lobbying from the either camps to get the seat for their candidates.
Needless to say, the Congress is in a ticklish situation because choosing any one would certainly lead to disappointment and non-cooperation from the other camp. In the meantime it is also rumoured that the Congress may wriggle out of the impasse by going in for a third and that too non-minority candidate and therefore, may opt for another aspirant Suresh Ballal. The Congress which has been accused of pampering minorities as it had fielded minority candidates in Ullal, Mangalore South, Mangalore North and Moodbidre in 2008, may silence its detractors by opting for a Hindu candidate with an eye on Christian, Muslim and Hindu votes. Either way it is going to be a tough battle for Yogish Bhat of BJP whose name has been finalized despite the strong candidature of Srikar Prabhu. It is now believed that there is a move within the BJP to sideline K Prabhakar Bhat’s influence on selection of candidates and Srikar Prabhu being his candidate, has been sidelined to drive home this point.
In the meantime there are rumours agog that the Congress may opt for Kripa Amar Alva from Mangalore North, where Moideen Bava was the Congress candidate in 2008 and is seeking party ticket for the forthcoming elections. Vijaykumar Shetty apart from Moideen Bava, is also aspiring for Congress ticket as the party has decided to give at least one seat to a Hindu candidate not only to counter BJP’s influence but also to placate Hindu voters, who feel alienated from the Congress. As Congress Sonia Gandhi has raised objections over not giving enough seats to women candidates, the party may opt for Kripa Alva, who is said to be very close to Moily. There is also the possibility that the Congress might be forced to choose between Shakunthala Shetty in Puttur or Kripa Alva in Mangalore north.
The three camps of Poojary, Moily and Oscar Fernandes are confabulating with their leaders in Delhi and it remains to be seen who is going to the lucky ones to get the party’s ticket at a time when the party’s chances of winning look quite bright.
