Denial of ticket by the BJP to its incumbent B.M. Sukumar Shetty in Byndoor has resulted in the political novice and former RSS Pracharak, Gururaj Shetty Gantihole taking on seasoned politician and four-time MLA K. Gopal Poojary in the upcoming elections.
Mr. Poojary made his political debut from Karnataka Congress Party (KCP) in 1994. His first victory was in the 1998 by-election caused by the resignation of Late I.M. Jayarama Shetty, who got elected from the Udupi Lok Sabha constituency. Mr. Poojary went on to win the 1999 and 2004 elections and was defeated in the 2008 elections by K. Lakshminarayana of the BJP. Again, he won in the 2013 elections and was the Chairman of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation. Incumbent Sukumar Shetty defeated him in the 2018 polls.
Achievements
One of the backward areas of the coastal region, Byndoor lacked both infrastructure and connectivity. Mr. Poojary as the Chairman of KSRTC, was instrumental in introducing bus services connecting the interior parts of the constituency as well as parts of Kundapura with respective taluk headquarters. Even critics admit the 67 year-old Poojary to be a good and generous person, and claim his lieutenants have dented the image to some extent.
Traditional fishermen are upset that the Central Government did not release the promised kerosene quota despite making several promises at the Koderi Fishing Harbour near the mouth of Yadamavinahole River with the Arabian Sea in Karkikali-Uppunda in Byndoor Assembly segment. | Photo Credit: ANIL KUMAR SASTRY
Having completed diploma course at Government Karnataka Polytechnic in Mangaluru in 2003, the 42-year-old Gantihole had been a Pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh for about a decade in Madikeri and Belthangady. After he joined the family business, he was made the BJP functionary in Udupi district. Known to walk barefoot, Mr. Gantihole strengthened the party through his door-to-door visit in the district. He also has been sponsoring education expenditure of poor North-East students and providing them accommodation at his house in Gantihole near Uppunda.
Other contestants include Mansoor Ibrahim, JDS, Ramananda Prabhu, AAP, S. Prasad, UPP and Kollur Manjunatha, Rashtriya Samaj Dal, besides G. Chandrashekar, B. Shyama and H. Suresh Poojari, all independents.
Rich natural beauty
Nestled between Panchagangavali River on the South, Uttara Kannada district border on the North, the Arabian Sea in the West and the Western Ghats on the East, Byndoor is one of the spectacular places in the coast. Housing the famous Mookambika Temple in Kollur, Sri Durgaparameshwari Temple in Uppunda, Sri Agastheshwara Temple in Kirimanjeshwara, Sri Maharajaswamy Varahaswamy Temple in Maravanthe, the constituency is known for religions, beach and eco-tourism.
Nearly 2 km long Trasi-Maravanthe Beach-front, where National Highway 66 passes between Souparnika (Kollur) River and the Arabian Sea, has been the prominent tourist attraction of the constituency along with the Someshwara Beach in Byndoor, Panchagangavali breakwater in Gangolli etc. Many more tourist attractions, including the Karkikali beach and Yadamavinahole breakwater in Uppunda, are in need of development.
Sea erosion and flooding
The constituency, having about 35 km of shoreline, frequently witnesses massive sea erosion at Maravanthe, Kirimanjeshwara, Koderi, Uppunda and Shiroor. While construction of groyens along the Trasi-Maravanthe shoreline some four years ago has almost prevented sea erosion along NH-66, ad-hoc measures of dumping boulders in other stretches did not yield any result. Fishermen blame the unscientific construction of the outer fishing harbour at Marvanthe fishing village for sea erosion and want the government to complete the balance portion of the breakwater.
The fishing village and the outer fishing harbour have been affected severely by sea erosion every Monsoon at Maravanthe village in Byndoor Taluk and Assembly segment. | Photo Credit: ANIL KUMAR SASTRY
Flooding of the paddy fields between the NH and the Konkan Railway track every Monsoon, including Maravanthe, Navunda, Uppunda, Byndoor and Shiroor, has been another woe faced by the residents. Several traditional fishing boats were swept away to the Sea during flash floods last year in Shiroor.
Temple town Kollur is in need of better civic amenities, including a robust underground drainage system, wider roads and other facilities to thousands of devotees. Government’s proposal to build a ropeway from Kollur to the Kodachadri hills through the eco-sensitive zone in the Western Ghats has raised alarm among environmentalists.
The road leading to Koderi fishing harbour and the Yadamavinahole breakwater from Karkikali-Uppunda, passing between the River and the Sea, has not been developed much to the dismay of traditional fishermen. The developed road would also have boosted tourism in the region, fishermen say.
