The Kaup Assembly constituency in Udupi district, which has a ‘blue flag’ certified Padubidri beach, is witnessing a close fight between senior leader of the Congress Vinay Kumar Sorake, 68, who is contesting from the constituency for the third time, and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s 60-year-old businessman-turned-social activist Gurme Suresh Shetty.
Mr. Sorake is facing his sixth Assembly elections in the coastal belt. Earlier, he had contested thrice from Puttur Assembly constituency in Dakshina Kannada, where he won twice (1985 and 1989). He lost the elections in Puttur in 1994. Of the two elections which he faced from Kaup, he won once in 2013 and lost the 2018 Assembly elections.
Mr. Shetty is among the new faces fielded by the BJP by replacing sitting Kaup MLA Lalaji R. Mendon, who won successively in 2004 and 2008, and then in 2018. Mr. Mendon had been the BJP candidate for the last six Assembly polls since 1994.
There has been a direct fight between the Congress and the BJP in this constituency since 1999 and the margin of victory has ranged between 967 (in 2008) and 3,498 (in 1999).
Gurme Suresh Shetty is the BJP candidate for Kaup In Udupi. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
In 1994, it was a triangular fight between the Congress, the BJP, and the Janata Dal (Secular), in which JD(S) candidate Ivan D’Souza, who is now with the Congress, stood third by securing 12,440 votes, against the victorious Congress candidate Vasant V. Salian, who polled 17,152. Mr. Mendon was second with 15,578 votes.
In 2018, Mr. Mendon of the BJP won by defeating Mr. Sorake by 11,917 votes. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the margin between the BJP and the Congress in the constituency was 44,667.
The constituency’s first MLA was the Congress’ F.X.D. Pinto, a businessman known for first exporting Mangaluru tiles to Australia, who won in 1957.
The Congress and the Congress-I won continuously in seven Assembly elections between 1972 and 1999.
The late Vasant V. Salian of the Congress won in 1983, 1985, 1989, 1994 and 1999, and lost in the 2004 and the 2008 Assembly polls. In 2013, Mr. Salian contested as the JD(S) candidate and stood third by polling 4,327 votes.
The constituency has a good number of Billavas and Bunts, to which Mr. Sorake and Mr. Shetty belong to, respectively. Mogaveeras, the fishermen community, are also in a good number.
The other contestants are S.R. Lobo of the Aam Aadmi Party, Sabina Samad from the JD(S), and Mohammed Haneef from the Social Democratic Party of India.
The constituency has the serene Kaup beach and lighthouse. Many devotees visit the Hale Mariyamma and Hosa Marigudi temples in Kaup. The Mahalaxmi temple in Uchilla, which has a large number Mogaveera followers, is also in this constituency.
