All the three Cabinet Ministers, B. Ramanath Rai, U.T. Khader and Pramod Madhwaraj, from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi are set to face the Assembly election again on May 12 as the Congress on Sunday announced their names for the election.
The party has named candidates for all the 13 Assembly segments in the two districts.
Setting all speculations aside, the party has fielded again K. Abhayachandra Jain, former Minister and MLA from Moodbidri. Ivan D’Souza, MLC, was a contender for the seat from this constituency.
All other sitting MLAs from the party in Dakshina Kannada J.R. Lobo (Mangaluru City South), B.A. Mohiuddin Bava (Mangaluru City North), K. Vasanth Bangera (Belthangady), Shakunthala T. Shetty (Puttur) have been issued party ticket.
Sitting MLAs in Udupi district Vinay Kumar Sorake (Kaup) and K. Gopal Poojary (Byndoor), who is also the chairman of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), have got party ticket.
Eighth time for him
Mr. Rai, a six-term MLA, would contest the election from Bantwal for the eighth time. B. Nagaraj Shetty of the BJP defeated Mr. Rai in 2004.
Mr. Khader entered the Assembly from Mangaluru (erstwhile Ullal) for the first time by winning the 2007 by-election held following the death of his father U.T. Fareed, who had won elections in 1972, 1978, 1999 and 2004. Mr. Khader won again in 2008 and in 2013. Now, he is seeking re-election for the fourth time.
First-time MLA and Minister Mr. Madhwaraj is facing the election for the fourth time. He lost to independent candidate K. Jayaprakash Hegde from the erstwhile Brahmavar Assembly Constituency in 2004 and to K. Raghupati Bhat of the BJP from Udupi Assembly seat in the 2008.
Mr. Bangera, a five-term MLA, is contesting for the seventh time. Mr. Bangera had lost the election in 1989 as an independent candidate to Gangadhara Gowda of the Congress.
Ms. Shetty will be contesting the Assembly election for the sixth time. She has won twice before, on BJP and Congress ticket.
The four-term MLA Mr. Jain is facing the election for the fifth time.
The first-time MLA Mr. Bava is facing the election for the third time. He had lost against J. Krishna Palemar of the BJP in 2008. Mr. Lobo has been fielded for the second time.
In Sullia, B. Raghu has been fielded to fight sitting MLA S Angara of the BJP for the fourth term.
The former Minister Mr. Sorake is contesting for the fifth time. He was MLA from Puttur in 1985 and 1989. He had lost the election in Puttur against D.V. Sadananda Gowda of the BJP in 1994. Mr. Sorake won from Kaup in the last Assembly election.
Mr. Poojary, a three-time MLA, had lost in Byndoor in 2008 against K. Lakshminarayana of the BJP.
In Kundapur and Karkala, the Congress has fielded Rakesh Malli and H. Gopal Bhandary, respectively.
