MANGALURU: For UT Khader, the Congress was all but obliterated in the erstwhile undivided Dakshina Kannada district. In Dakshina Kannada alone, BJP won six of the seven seats in the assembly, and although the incumbent legislators ought to present themselves as the obvious choice for the saffron party leadership to the field in the 2023 hustings, the situation appears not to be too favourable for some.
On the other hand, in the Congress, barring the Mangalore seat, represented by Khader, the field is wide open, and many young leaders in the party are among those vying for the party’s ticket for the other constituencies.
Bantwal MLA Rajesh Naik U poses a particularly vexatious problem to the BJP. Popular, and his record untainted by any controversy, Naik, a greenhorn five years ago, is the ideal candidate. But he has previously expressed his reluctance to contest the election again, muddying up the waters for the saffron party leadership, which is eager to field him again. The BJP will either have to persuade him to reverse his decision, or field a new face. For the Congress, former minister B Ramanath Rai is the likely choice for Bantwal, but Rakesh Malli and Ashwin Rai too are vying for the ticket for the constituency dominated by members of the Buntband Billava communities.
Minister for fishers S Angara, a six-time MLA from Sullia, which is reserved for members of the Scheduled Tribes, is facing anti-incumbency over his purported failure to develop the segment. Should the BJP fail to find a replacement, the party may have to hedge its bets on Angara. Dr Raghu, who contested from the Congress and lost the 2018 elections to Angara, is not keen on contesting the election this time around, leaving the party to search for a viable candidate who can challenge the old warhorse.
Sanjeeva Matandoor, the incumbent BJP MLA for Puttur, where it is largely believed the shoots of Hindutva politics first sprouted in Karnataka, is reportedly not universally popular among the cadre, who want a hardliner as their leader. However, the saffron party might be forced to back him if they do not find another candidate capable of retaining the seat. Shakuntala Shetty, who left the BJP and joined the Congress a decade ago, however, is likely to be awarded the ticket by the latter party.
However, the BJP is likely to nominate incumbent legislators in Belthangdy, Mangalore North, and Mangalore South, although the situation is entirely different in the Congress, where there are multiple aspirants vying for each seat. The BJP, however, is yet to find a strong candidate who can take the fight to Khader in Mangalore, although there is no paucity of contenders for the party’s ticket.
