The Congress on Wednesday won the elections to the newly formed Kaup Town Municipal Council (TMC) here. In close fight, the Congress bagged 12 of the 23 seats in Kaup TMC, while the BJP got 11.
It was a see-saw battle right from the beginning of the counting of votes at the Court Hall of Udupi taluk office here. The two parties traded seats one after the other, with the Congress coming up trumps at the very end, winning the last ward to be counted — Ahmadi Mohalla — with a margin of 300 votes.
Kaup TMC falls within Kaup Assembly constituency, which is represented by Urban Development Minister Vinay Kumar Sorake, who is also the Udupi district in-charge. The victory in Kaup TMC is seen as a matter of prestige for Mr. Sorake, as he was instrumental in the formation of the TMC with the merger of Kaup and nearby villages.
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As expected, the BJP, buoyed by its win in the recent Udupi Zilla Panchayat elections as well as the polls to taluk panchayats in Udupi, Kundapur and Karkala, gave a tough fight.
Four Janata Dal (Secular) candidates, four Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) candidates and three Independents too were in the fray. All of them drew a blank.
The Congress won Kothalkatte, Kalya, Beedubadi, Koppalangadi, Duganthota, Mangalpete, Janardhan Devasthana, Badaragaguttu, General Shale, Garadi, Kudhitmar and Ahmadi Mohalla wards.
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The BJP took Kaipunjal, Karavali, Polipugudde, Dandatirtha, Bharatinagar, Polipu, Kauppete, Light House, Kombagudde and Gujji.
‘Won despite propaganda’
Speaking to presspersons here, Mr. Sorake said people had voted for development despite propaganda by opposition parties questioning the need for a Kaup TMC.
The State government had already allotted Rs. 64 crore for drinking water, Rs. 34 crore for sewage system, Rs. 8.5 crore for solid waste treatment plant and Rs. 5 crore for a new municipal office for Kaup TMC. LED lamps would be installed throughout the TMC, he said.
However, Lalaji Mendon, former MLA and BJP leader, said the BJP’s strong showing was a positive sign. “Inspite of being in the opposition, we gave a tough fight. We will strengthen our party,” he said.
In a close fight, the party bags 12 seats, one more than Bharatiya Janata Party’s 11