maybe that’s why BJP has made many changesDropping office bearers who were either not aggressive or considered non-performers.
In all the 13 constituencies – five in Udupi district and eight in Dakshina Kannada – it will largely be a fight between the BJP and the Congress, while the JD(S) and the SDPI may create a scare in one or two areas.
Surprisingly, Hijab, Halal and BJP are major topics love jihad has been put on the backburner, with office bearers and candidates only raising slogans of development and the progress made by the double engine government.
Congress is also staying away from these contentious issues and focusing on corruption and poor performance of the existing system.
In each assembly constituency, the Congress is distributing 45,000-60,000 guarantee cards, which include five of its big pre-poll promises including free electricity and rice and financial assistance to housewives. The card bears the signatures of former chief minister Siddaramaiah and state Congress president DK Shivakumar.
The constituencies that have generated interest are Mangaluru (formerly Ullal), which the BJP has been trying to snatch from the Congress for over two decades, and Karkala, where Pramod Muthalik has found himself with BJP minister V Sunil Kumar. Has stood against as a true supporter of Hindutva. The BJP is also facing a strong contender in Karkala in the form of Udayakumar Shetty Muniyal.
In Puttur, the BJP candidate is facing a tough fight from independent rebel and Hindutva supporter Arun Kumar Puthila. If Puthila wins, BJP will undoubtedly be embarrassed, but no harm will come as he has already said that his fight is for Hindutva and to strengthen BJP. The division of votes may help the Congress, but political observers favor the BJP candidate. Triangular contest Mangaluru City North is witnessing an interesting triangular contest, from which BJP’s Bharat Shetty can heave a sigh of relief. Congress rebel Mohiuddin Bawa, who is contesting against Congress candidate Inayat Ali from JD(S), should split the vote because of Bawa’s personal charisma.
With sitting MLA S Angara out of the fray in Sulia, the Congress may see a crack in the BJP’s armor. Party insiders claim that Angara, a six-time winner, was becoming a burden with his poor performance. AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge’s visit to Sulia on April 25 should be a morale booster for the workers, but without a strong candidate, it will be an uphill task for the grand old party to reverse the trend. Kharge’s elevation as president of the All India Congress Committee may convert some votes for the Congress.
In 2018, RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat predicted that the BJP would win a landslide victory. This time his prediction has not changed. This time we are in a better position. There was a shadow of anti-incumbency, but now it has passed. With national leaders like Modi and Shah campaigning here, smaller issues will be put on the backburner,” Bhat said.
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Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Congress will win more than 140 seats, says DK Shivakumar
Manjunath Bhandari, Convener, Congress Campaign Committee, said they have got the arithmetic right on the candidates, expressing confidence that they will win at least half the seats in DK and Udupi.
The Congress’s confidence stems from choosing candidates from the right castes in most constituencies, but it remains to be seen whether voters will be swayed by emotion or logic.
Udupi also presents an interesting contest with staunch Hindutva supporter Yashpal Suvarna getting a ticket against mild incumbent Raghupati Bhat. The BJP surely hopes that its firebrand candidate will give the party an edge where another Mogaveera – Prasad Raj Kanchan from the Congress – is contesting. Suvarna’s candidature would have nullified the gains the Congress was looking for after the departure of Pramod Madhavraj. Political observers say that the Congress is likely to make gains in Kaup, Kundapur and Byndoor regions.