Karnataka Assembly Elections 2008 - Complete Coverage

By Team Mangalorean

MANGALORE, May 14, 2008: The Dakshina Kannada is now firmly caught in the election fever, with just two days to go for the crucial day the political parties and the voters are waiting in hushed anticipation. The voters are weighing their options while the parties and their candidates are keeping their fingers crossed.
 
There was never such a situation in Dakshina Kannada. If one closely observes the electoral field there are no ground signals coming. Nobody is sure of winning in the main parties particularly the BJP and the Congress. The district had given out majority of the seats to the BJP in the 2004 elections and Congress had got a severe drubbing. But this time the field appears to be different.

It is true that some degree of anti incumbency had crept in but the intermittent governor's rule has perhaps had a provided a cushioning effect on the hardliner voters against the anti incumbency sentiments. For example at Bantwal which always provides the coup-de-etat is today enigmatic about the outcome. Its previous MLA B. Nagaraja Shetty who had been a hardliner Sangh Parivar activist had softened his stand on the ideological aspect of the Sangh Parivar and had immersed fully into the world of politics. Unconfirmed reports states that he had a major role to play in transporting the illegally mined manganese and iron fines through Mangalore port along with some other Congress leaders between them the fleet of thousands of trucks were purchased.
 
On the other hand former minister and former MLA R. Ramanatha Rai had fallen from grace with the Muslim voters and had lost control of the Congress affairs in the district. He had waged an internal war with the late Blasius D'Souza for wresting the gaddi of the District Congress President which had put him into trouble with the Congress workers in Mangalore and Bangalore as well. But Mr.Rai was quick enough to regain some of the confidence of the party workers during the run up to the elections 2008.
 
Another battle ground that has opened up is the Puttur constituency.  Here the Congress is facing a threat from the BJP, which is again split. This is more dangerous for Congress. Bondala Jagannath Shetty who belongs to Bantwal constituency is contesting against two ladies namely Mallika Prasad of BJP and Shakuntala Shetty ( who was expelled from BJP) contesting as independent. Shetty is the second candidate in the fray in entire Karnataka who is graduated into a MLA candidate from Youth Congress, Krishna Byre Gowda is the other. At least the Congress could find one bright face to contest.
 
At Mangalore City North constituency the battle appear to be over already in favour of the BJP candidate Krishna Palemar. The Congress had fielded a weak candidate in Moideen Bawa. He could match Krishna Palemar in the strength to contest the elections but Mr.Palemar has earned a distinct advantage of managing the communal issues effectively and efficiently for the last four years. Sensitive areas like Ganeshpura, Chokkabettu, Krishnapura east and west have been fully covered by Mr. Palemar with his influence.
 
Mangalore City South and Mangalore are the key constituencies where intense contest is expected, Mangalorean.com has already published the analysis on these two constituencies.
 
The BSP and the JD(S) factor appear to have only minimal effect on the voters. These parties have no base in the district but they could have a say in Sullia and Belthangady constituencies where tribals, and SC voters are in large numbers. According to the 2001 census 65 per cent of the population belongs to this category and they might exercise their franchise in favour of BSP to some extent which is a worrying aspect for Congress and JDS.  Vasanth Bangera who was a JDS strongman here has defected to Congress and he now a candidate from that party. While his brother Prabhakar Bangera who is seldom seen in the constituency is contesting on BJP ticket. According the state president of the BSP Marasandra Muniyappa, Belthangady and Sullia will give his party the first two seats in Dakshina Kannada.

Karnataka Assembly Elections 2008 - Complete Coverage