Yashodhara Bangera
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Feb 8: Pent up dissidence has burst into the open in the Moodbidri unit of BJP, as party activists are up in arms against the party's decision to allot zilla panchayat ticket from Puttige constituency to members of a single family in the last three terms. Senior leaders and a large numbers of party supporters are angry at this attitude of the party. The dissidence got further vitiated because of the party's decision to neglect a young leader of the party.

Sucharita Shetty                            Ranjith Poojary

Nearly 90 percent activists of the party had strongly backed the demand to field Ranjith Poojary, a young leader of the party, from Puttige zilla panchayat (ZP) constituency. When district leaders discussed the issue with a couple of local leaders, the name of K P Sucharita Shetty, came to be mentioned. The party finalized the name of Sucharita Shetty for this constituency, and nomination papers were also accordingly filed. However, after this development, dissidence in the party has suddenly widened.

Congress has allotted ticket to Chandrahas Sanil, young leader belonging to Billawa community, from Puttige constituency, where most of the voters belong to Billalwa and minority communities. To effectively counter this decision, BJP activists had demanded for providing opportunity to young leaders in this constituency. It was but natural for the party to get such a demand in a town where young activists abound in BJP. The activists had rightly guessed that Ranjith Poojary, if fielded, could successfully pose a challenge to Chandrahas Sanil of the Congress, who belongs to the same community.

Sucharita, during the last gram panchayat election, had won with a margin of a handful of votes from Paladka. His wife and brother, who had fought from different wards of Paladka panchayat, had been defeated. Therefore, BJP activists are of the opinion that he does not have the potential to win zilla panchayat election.

Although Sucharita, a seasoned politician, has worked to strengthen BJP in the constituency, being its local unit president, the fact that he does not wield considerable influence in several pockets of this constituency has made the party workers to resist his candidature.

In Puttige constituency, three candidates belonging to Bunt community have entered the fray. Candidatures of Todar Diwakar Shetty from the JDS, who has been prominently seen in social activities of Bunt community, Yadav Shetty of CPM, who moves around because of his association with labour union, and Sucharita Shetty of the BJP, may result in splitting of Bunt community votes here, resulting in weakening BJP candidate's chances, BJP activists argue.