BJP functionaries in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi keenly await announcement of candidate ahead of LC byelection

Names of different leaders of the party are doing the rounds as aspirants

With the notification for the October 21 byelection to Karnataka Legislative Council from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Local Authorities’ Constituency issued on Thursday, September 26, the BJP functionaries in the twin districts are keenly awaiting for the announcement of the party candidate.

Names of different leaders of the party are doing the rounds as aspirants.

Prominent among them are K. Monappa Bhandary, a former MLC and a former president of Dakshina Kannada unit of the party, Nalin Kumar Kateel, a former three-time Member of Parliament of Dakshina Kannada and a former president of Karnataka unit of the party, Satish Kumpala, president of Dakshina Kannada unit of the party who had contested the last Assembly election from Mangaluru constituency (erstwhile Ullal) unsuccessfully, Pramod Madhwaraj, a former Minister and a former Udupi MLA who quit the Congress to join BJP, Udaya Kumar Shetty, the party’s Mangaluru divisional in-charge and Kuilady Suresh Nayak, a former president of Udupi district unit of the party.

In addition, the name of Vikas Puttur, the party’s State social media in-charge, is also doing the rounds as the aspirant.

With October 3 being the last date to file nomination papers, the party’s office-bearers hope that the candidate’s name may be announced in a day or two.

The byelection will be held to the seat vacated by Kota Srinivas Poojary of the BJP who has been elected as the Lok Sabha member from Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency. The vacancy was created on June 15, 2024, following Mr. Poojary’s resignation to the Council. His term in the Council was till January 5, 2028.

In the last Council election held for the dual member-constituency in December 2021, Mr. Poojary had secured 3,672 votes while the Congress candidate Manjunath Bhandary, who also got elected, had bagged 2,079 votes. The third candidate Shafi Bellare of the Social Democratic Party of India had got 204 votes.

Of 6,011 votes polled, as many as 56 votes were declared invalid. Mr. Poojary and Mr. Bhandary secured winning votes from the first preferential votes.

Though South Canara District Central Cooperative Bank chairman M.N. Rajendra Kumar had announced that he would contest the polls as an Independent to represent the cooperative sector, later he changed his decision and did not contest.

It was after KPCC president D.K. Shivakumar held a meeting with him and the then Cooperation Minister S.T. Somshekar gave a veiled threat of dislodging the chairman for alleged irregularities.

If the constituency had 6,040 voters in 2021, now it has 6,037 voters.

Published - September 26, 2024 09:33 pm IST