An interesting battle is on at the Udupi-Chikmagalur parliamentary constituency. Though there are 11 candidates in the fray, the main battle is expected to be among the candidates of the Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Janata Dal (Secular).
The Congress re-nominated its sitting MP, K. Jayaprakash Hegde, who had won the parliamentary bypoll in the constituency in 2012. After much vacillation, the BJP selected former Minister Shobha Karandlaje as its candidate. This delay gave a head-start to Mr. Hegde in campaigning.
In the 2009 parliamentary polls, BJP candidate D.V. Sadananda Gowda defeated Mr. Hegde by a margin of 27,018 votes. The Third Front candidate, Radha Sundaresh of the Communist Party of India (CPI), came third with 24,991 votes.
But in the 2012 parliamentary bypolls, Mr. Hegde defeated V. Sunil Kumar of the BJP. S.L. Bhoje Gowda of the Janata Dal (Secular) came third. Mr. Hegde is focussing on the achievements of the Union and State governments and his role in expediting the works on widening of National Highway 66 in Udupi district and providing compensation to arecanut farmers in Udupi and Chikmagalur district when their crops were damaged, will stand him in good stead.
“Our candidate’s clean image and being in constant touch with constituents will help us,” said Gopal Poojary, Byndoor. Meanwhile, the BJP is focussing on the ‘Modi wave’ and on national issues such as national security, foreign policy and poor handling of the economy by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government.
“The former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa’s return to the party will bring the Lingayat votes to us in the Chikmagalur-Tarikere belt. Being a woman candidate, Ms. Karandlaje is attracting a lot of women voters,” said T.V. Hegde, president of the district unit of the BJP.
The JD(S) has fielded the former Union Minister V. Dhananjaya Kumar. He is emphasising local issues such as development of fisheries, ports, sea erosion, encroachment of forest land and problems of arecanut farmers. The Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) is supporting Mr. Kumar.
“Both the Congress and BJP have failed to address the concerns of voters. People want a strong regional party like the JD(S) to represent them,” Mr. Kumar said. The Communist Party of India candidate S. Vijaya Kumar has a following among the coffee plantation, anganwadi and beedi workers.
