Defying the alliance between the BJP and the Janata Dal (Secular) for the June 3 Legislative Council polls, a BJP member from Mangaluru, S.R. Harish Acharya, announced on Tuesday that he will contest from South West Teachers’ Constituency.
Under the agreement between the two parties, the BJP has left the South West Teachers’ Constituency to the Janata Dal (Secular) to contest from. Accordingly, the latter has fielded the MLC from the constituency S.L. Bhoje Gowda for the second time.
After Raghupathi Bhat
With this, the BJP faced more trouble and the second banner of revolt in the coastal belt ahead of the elections. Former three-term MLA from Udupi K. Raghupathi Bhat announced on Monday that he will contest from South West Graduates’ Constituency.
Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Acharya said that he will file his nomination papers in Mysuru on Wednesday.
Mr. Acharya said that he will contest the polls as the coastal districts have been completely sidelined by all the political parties facing the Legislative Council polls. “No party has fielded a candidate from the coastal districts either to the South West Graduates’ or to the Teachers’ constituency. I am contesting because it is the question of self-respect of the coastal belt and its teachers,” he said.
‘No revolt’
Repeatedly stressing on lack of representation to the coastal belt in the two constituencies, Mr. Acharya, who is the honorary president of Mangalore University Government First Grade College Guest Teachers’ Hitarakshana Samiti, maintained that his contest is “not a revolt.”
Mr. Acharya, a former member of the Syndicate of Mangalore University, said that he is preparing to face the election from South West Teachers’ Constituency since September 27 last by beginning field visit to educational institutes.
Published - May 14, 2024 09:18 pm IST
