In the aftermath of the elections, as the focus remains on the top two parties, the non-BJP, non-Congress forces continue to be sidelined in the district.
The performance of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which has lost some more ground as compared to the previous elections, seems to suggest this trend in the constituency.
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Led by farmer-activist K. Yadav Shetty as its candidate, the party secured 9,394 votes – or more disconcertingly, just 0.8 per cent of the votes in the district, and barely half of the 18,328 votes received by the CPI(M)-JD(S) combine the last time around. The final tally is also nearly 2,000 votes lesser than that polled by candidates of the party during the 2013 State Assembly elections.
Erosion of base
Through the campaign, numerous senior leaders had said the elections were not being fought to win, but to increase their base here. On the eve of the election, Mr. Shetty himself had hoped for between 30,000 and 40,000 votes that would be a “boost” for the “movement” here.
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Though the party had hoped for support among the labour classes and farmers (Mr. Shetty is district General Secretary of Karnataka Pranta Rajya Sangha), the assembly-wise results are not encouraging.
The party got just 0.5 per cent of the votes polled in the rural assembly constituencies of Bantwal, Belthangady, Sullia and Puttur. Even in his hometown of Moodbidri — an Assembly segment of the Lok Sabha seat — Mr. Shetty polled a little over 1,100 votes.
Consolidation
Meanwhile, the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) – which struck an alliance with Janata Dal (Secular) – has consolidated its base in the district. Fighting on state issues, the party (with an alliance with BSP) managed to secure 24,188 votes across eight constituencies in the 2013 elections.
In an election of national issues, their candidate, Haneef Khan Kodaje, secured 27,254 votes or 2.25 per cent of the votes polled, while he expected around 35,000 votes.
AAP
The fledgling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured around 1,500 votes — fewer than None Of The Above (NOTA) votes.
During its campaign, the AAP workers admitted that awareness about the party and its ideals was lacking in rural areas, and it was proven when the results came out: urban assembly constituencies of Mangalore North and South account for nearly 57 per cent of the total votes polled by its candidate M.R. Vasudeva (in perspective, just 23 per cent of their votes came from outside Mangalore taluk).
In a release, AAP volunteers have called it a good start nationally, and vowed that the movement against corruption and “crony capitalism” will continue.