Former Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, candidate for Kaup constituencies in Udupi. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
U.T. Khader, Congress candidate for Mangaluru constituencies in Dakshina Kannada. | Photo Credit: File photo
Making a strong pitch to regain the lost turf in undivided Dakshina Kannada district, the Congress has decided to field some veterans and a few new faces for the forthcoming elections to the Karnataka Legislative Assembly. Of the eight constituencies in Dakshina Kannada and five in Udupi districts, Congress has finalised candidates for five and three respectively in the first list.
Congress was wiped out in all five constituencies of Udupi district while it could retain only Mangaluru (Ullal) out of eight segments in Dkashina Kannada district in the 2018 elections. Former minister B. Ramanath Rai will contest for the 9th time from his Bantwal constituency while his erstwhile colleague Vinay Kumar Sorake will contest Kaup, even as Mr. Khader is named again for Mangaluru in the list of 124 candidates released by the Congress on Saturday, March 25.
Mithun Rai, Congress candidate for Moodbidri constituencies in Dakshina Kannada. | Photo Credit: File photo
Rakshith Shivaram, son of retired police officer B.K. Shivaram and nephew of Congress leader B.K. Hariprasad is fielded in Belthangady constituency in his first political test. Mithun Rai, who unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha elections against BJP’s Nalin Kumar Kateel in Dakshina Kannada constituency, is fielded in Moodbidri. Former minister K. Abhayachandra Jain, who groomed Mr. Rai, has offered the seat to his political disciple.
New faces
In Sullia (reserved for SC), Congress has named G. Krishnappa, who will be facing the elections for the first time. Molahalli Dinesh Hegde, former president of Molahalli Gram Panchayat, will face the first big political test from Kundapura constituency. Congress has fielded former MLA K. Gopal Poojari from Byndoor Assembly constituency.
G. Krishnappa, Congress candidate for Sullia constituencies in Dakshina Kannada. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The party has not named candidates for Mangaluru City North and South and Puttur in Dakshina Kannada district and Udupi and Karkala in Udupi district where there was stiff fight for the party ticket.
A record of sorts
Mr. Ramanath Rai creates a record of sorts by contesting for the 9th time from Bantwal constituency. Of the eight elections he contested from 1985, Mr. Rai, now 71, won six times, 1985, 1989, 1994, 1999, 2008 and 2013. He lost to BJP’s B. Nagaraja Shetty in 2004 and to Rajesh U Naik in 2018. He had also held important ministerial portfolios of transport and forest departments during his political career.
Uttara Kannada
Former Minister R.V. Deshpande is fielded from Haliyal, Satish Sail from Karwar and Mankala Subba Vaidya is fielded from Bhatkal constituencies in Uttara Kannada district.
