Pics: Durga Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network—Udupi (RD/CN)
Udupi, May 7: The future of the Udupi–Chikmagalur Lok Sabha (LS) candidates is sealed in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) stored at T A Pai Memorial College here, guarded by armed policemen, till the announcement of poll results on Saturday May 16.
Both the BJP and the Congress are likely to face a stiff fight while the Third Front (TF) will play a decisive role in the poll outcome.
The BJP has tested its popularity by fielding its state president and former Mangalore MP D V Sadananda Gowda, while the Congress fielded charming personality Jayaprakash (JP) Hegde, after a long search for appropriate candidates. The TF has put up Radha Sundaresh as its candidate.
The BJP had been expecting to win the polls with more than 1 lac votes with the Congress nurturing similar hopes. Only the poll results can now clarify the voters’ verdict. After the polling the victory margins have come down to about 30,000-40,000.
The stiff competition between Congress and BJP here has also led to heavy betting. The polling is expected to yield results on caste and religion basis with the SC/ST voters numbering over 2 lac, playing a pivotal role.
Udupi–Chikmagalur LS constituency here has seven elected BJP MLAs and a lone Congress MLA can hardly exert any significant impact on the polling.