By-Election in Dakshina Kannada Set for October 21

The ECI declared on Thursday that voting will be held on October 21, with counting on October 24, officially kicking off the battle between BJP and Congress.

The election comes after the resignation of BJP's Kota Srinivas Poojary, who vacated the seat following his election to Parliament.

The Dakshina Kannada Local Authorities’ Constituency comprises two seats, one each held by the Congress and BJP. Notably, the seat that Poojary represented was originally held by Congress before the BJP gained a strong foothold in the local bodies. Poojary first entered the Legislative Council during the by-election in 2008, after the seat fell vacant due to the death of Congress leader Blasius M’Douza.

Poojary went on to cement BJP's foothold, representing the constituency for over a decade and a half and serving as both Leader of Opposition and a Cabinet Minister during his tenure as an MLC.

With the election schedule now set, political activity has intensified within both Congress and BJP camps.

While the BJP is confident of retaining the seat, Congress is determined to wrest it back from the ruling party. The electorate for this constituency consists of members from Panchayats, Municipalities, and City Corporations in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts. According to BJP insiders, of the about 7,000 eligible voters, the party claims support from approximately 4,000, while Congress and its allies control around 3,000 votes.

Uday Kumar Shetty, BJP's Mangaluru Vibhag Prabhari, asserted “We have a clear support and will win this election. The candidate will be finalized soon.”

The Congress sees an opportunity to reclaim the seat, supported by public sentiment toward the state government’s guarantee schemes, which have reportedly gained traction with voters.

AICC Secretary PV Mohan expressed confidence, stating, “People are happy with the state’s guarantee schemes, and we believe this will work to our advantage in the upcoming polls.”

Political observers note that the candidate selection process will be crucial for both parties.

Several names are already circulating in the BJP camp. Among the frontrunners is Nalin Kumar Kateel, the former MP of Dakshina Kannada and a strong BJP leader who has served as the party’s state president. Another potential BJP candidate is Pramod Madhwaraj, a former Congress minister in Siddaramaiah's 2013-2018 cabinet, who defected to the BJP a few years ago. Hailing from the influential Mogaveera (fishermen) community, Madhwaraj's candidacy could serve as a strategic move to attract the coastal community's votes, further solidifying the BJP’s grip on the region.

Uday Kumar Shetty, the BJP’s Mangaluru Vibhag Prabhari and former chairman of Mysore Electrical Industries Ltd, is another name being considered. While Nalin and Pramod have served as legislators, Uday Kumar Shetty has not got a chance to contest legislative elections till now.

On the Congress side, names being floated include Uday Kumar Shetty, who contested the assembly elections from Karakala in the 2023 assembly polls, and Harish Kumar, a former MLC with deep roots in the region.

Congress’s challenge will be to field a candidate who can effectively counter BJP’s strong electoral machinery and capitalize on any discontent with the BJP's local leadership.