Udupi: Pramod Madhwaraj vs Raghupati Bhat - Interesting battle ahead


Harshini Brahmavar
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (MS)

Udupi, May 9: If there is a constituency which will be very keenly fought in the Karnataka assembly elections of 2018, it will be the constituency of Udupi. The dais is set for the face to face fight of one former and the other sitting MLA.

The total voters in Udupi constituency are 2,07,431. Out of this 1,00,555 are males and 1,06,892 are females and four belong to other gender.


Past Voting Trends

Voters of Udupi, who have elected candidates of Congress, BSP, BJP and Krantiranga parties since 1952 might give importance to harmony among people rather than politics of religion. Pramod Madhwaraj, the sitting MLA has won for the maiden time in the last elections of 2013. His mother Manorama Madhwaraj has won four terms. Though Pramod Madhwaraj lost the 2008 assembly elections, he is proud that he has won the 2013 elections by a huge margin of 40,000 votes.


Pramod Madhwaraj, Congress Candidate

"Representatives of people should never be satisfied with the work they do. They should have the excitement and interest to do more work. I have the satisfaction of doing justice to my work as a minister and also as an MLA of my constituency for the last five years. Some jobs are pending. I will get these completed in the next term," says Pramod, who is the sitting MLA from the Congress party.

"The works needed to uplift the fishing industry have been done. Now there is a need to bring uniform fishing policy. My next aim is to implement a uniform fishing legislation to the western coastal states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Kerala, Goa and Karnataka. Fish wealth has to be rescued. It is an irony that central government is not co-operating in safeguarding the fish wealth.

"The first road that needs to be developed through land acquisition is the road from Malpe to Adi Udupi and Manipal to Parkala. The central government has not done this in the past four and a half years. Let BJP get this done first and then point fingers at the development done by Congress in the constituency of Udupi.

"The sand mafia is with the BJP candidate Ragupati Bhat. I have made a rule during my term by giving 74 permits. The sand of Udupi district should not go to other districts. Earlier the sand of Udupi was being transported to Bengaluru, Shivamogga and Kerala. This used to make the rate of the sand shoot to the sky and also non-availability of sufficient sand in Udupi. People are aware of this fact," he says.


Plans for Udupi

"My dream was to provide 24 hours uninterrupted electricity supply and water for all the 365 days of the year. Already Rs 270 crore is sanctioned for the plan to bring Varahi water to Udupi. The tender process is also completed. The work is going to begin after the assembly elections. The Bahugrama plan in the rural areas of Chantaru and Thenkanidiyoor at the cost of 78 crore and 34 crore respectively have come up to the level of calling the tender for the work. I will complete the drainage work of roads in areas as per the demands of the public in the coming term. In addition, 22 bridges are sanctioned to be built. Now the demand for bridges is zero," says Pramod on his view on the dreams he has for his constituency.


Modi wave in Udupi?

Asked if there was a Modi wave in Udupi especially after the PM's recent visit, Pramod had this to say: "BJP got defeated in the state of Bihar. In Gujarat, they were on the verge of losing the battle. There are instances of BJP losing elections where Modi has given a visit. This will be true in future in the constituencies of Udupi and Mangaluru. According to one survey, conducted by a private organization, I am chosen as the best MLA in the whole state of Karnataka. I have also made the constituency of Udupi numero uno in the state of Karnataka. If the people of Udupi give me an opportunity, I will make the constituency of Udupi number one in the whole of India."


BJP Candidate Raghupati Bhat

BJP candidate for Udupi constituency Raghupati Bhat opines, "Congress is delivering a booklet to each and every house which contains the development done by them. People of Udupi have to read the same. They have included the land acquisition work done for the construction of the national highway from Mabukala to Udyavar, which was actually done by the central government. Several plans and facilities given to the public like salaries to teachers, Anna Bhagya, Sandhya Suraksha, which they have not done are portrayed in the book as being carried out by the Congress party.

"Half work of Parika bridge was done during my tenure. The third phase construction work of Malpe port was done during my term at a cost of Rs 36 crore. Congress has added the grant of Rs 36 crore that was released for the development of Udupi city. However, the work related to this is not yet started. During my tenure several works at a cost of 380 crore are completed. If the sitting MLA would have in fact brought Rs 2,026 crore grant, as proclaimed by him, to Udupi, then Udupi would have surely turned into Singapore. This is a plan to fool people.

"Modi had visited Udupi twice during my term. He has canvassed on behalf of me in 2004 in the conference that took place at Chittaranjan circle. In 2008, when Modi was the chief minister of Gujarat has come down to Udupi and has campaigned on behalf of me. Now I feel that it is my good fortune that he has visited Udupi as the prime minister of India. BJP has won in areas where Modi has canvassed for the party. There is no instance of BJP getting defeated at al. So I am confident that BJP will win in Udupi too.


Plans for Udupi

"My dream of development of Udupi is completing the vision of Dr V S Acharya. Especially, making Brahmavar as Municipality. Also implementing Brahmavar as a full-fledged taluk. Drinking water scarcity is a big issue in the city of Udupi. I will bring the three Bahugrama plan on first priority. The age of four-lane road in Udupi started during my tenure. The roads between Kinnimulki - Service Bus Stand, Kalsanka - Manipal, Syndicate Bank - DC office, Gundibail - Malpe port and Brahmagiri - Jodukatte were built during the time of BJP. Though the Manipal - Perampalli road is constructed, the work done is unscientific and it is not completed. My dream would be to complete all these pending works If I am elected by the people of Udupi," he says.

"Several works related in making Udupi as a tourist attraction are pending. Underground drainage work has to be done in Manipal, Santhekatte and Malpe. The sitting MLA should have taken the onus of getting the national highway built by pushing the Navayug company, who has got the contract to build the same. This job is not the sole responsibility of the member of parliament. The road between Adi Udupi - Thirthahalli is upgraded as the national highway. The plan to convert the 90 km stretch of road between Malpe - Manipal - Parkal into four lane is approved. I will get this done in a year if I get elected as MLA.

"The people of Udupi have elected me twice as MLA and once as a member of town municipality. I have made honest attempt to develop Udupi. The sand issue is another serious issue of Udupi. I will try to find a permanent solution to this problem," he says.


Other Candidates

JD (S) also has fielded their contestant for this election in order to make their presence felt. Birti Gangadhar Bhandary is contesting on JD (S) ticket from Udupi. He has been working for the JD (S) from the past 20 years. Now he is doing door to door canvassing to increase his chances of winning.


Birti Gangadhar Bhandary (L) and Madhukar Mudradi

In addition, Madhukar Mudradi (Shiv Sena), Y S Vishwanath (All India Mahila Empowerment Party), Shekhar Havanje (Republican party of India), Mahesh (Swathanthra party) and Sudhir Kanchan (Independent) are also in the fray.


Forecast

Though the rumours of Pramod Madhwaraj of Congress joining BJP were making rounds in the beginning, speculation were put an end when he submitted his nomination as a Congress candidate. Congress party has the aim of winning in five constituencies. The activists of the party have worked at booth level and also conducted Janaspandane programme in order to achieve their dream.

The elevation of Pramod Madhwaraj to the level of cabinet minister from being a parliamentary secretary and assistant minister shows his ability to work. BJP always strives to give the ticket to the winnable candidate. As the list of aspirants for the ticket in the BJP party was quite long, it took a long time for the party to finalize the candidate. Pramod and Raghupati Bhat studied together from primary to high school. However, after entering politics they have become bitter enemies. This has made the people of Udupi curious about the present election.

For the national parties, which are talking about development, their speech itself has become a big asset. The voters of Udupi will be further inspired by the visits of Amit Shah, Rahul Gandhi and Siddaramaiah. People will not forget the strong foundation of BJP laid by Dr V S Acharya.

If caste-wise voters are considered in this constituency Billawas, Mogaveeras and Bunts are more in numbers. As Pramod belongs to the Mogaveera community, their votes will be deciding factor for him. In addition, his status, the selection of him as the number one MLA in a survey, transparency in administration, the fame as a philanthropist, building of homes to the migrants are the plus points for Pramod Madhwaraj. However, there is unhappiness within the fishermen community saying that Pramod has tried to divide traditional and purse-seine factions of the community.

Though Brahmins are lesser in numbers, youths are the backbone of Raghupati Bhat's campaign. The CD issue that racked up during the last assembly elections, the rave party issue that occurred in St Mary Island, the mysterious death of his wife Padma Priya and the factions within the BJP party became minus points for Bhat last elections, but this time round he has managed to remain controversy-free.

 

  

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Comment on this article

  • Anil D'souza, Udupi

    Thu, May 10 2018

    Raghupati Bhat will win 100% . from 15th morning 11am Raghupati Bhat MLA for udupi..

    DisAgree [5] Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • Wilson, Udupi

    Wed, May 09 2018

    There is no competitor for Pramod ,he is is everything,and he will win buy atleast 30k votes,he and sorake done great work for udupi and Kaup,if these 2 candidates don't win means there is no place for honesty and development.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [24] Reply Report Abuse

  • JK, Udupi/Dubai

    Wed, May 09 2018

    UDUPI PEOPLE TOTALLY CONFUSED AS TO WHOM TO VOTE. MAJORITY LIKES BOTH MODI AND PROMOD.

    DisAgree [8] Agree [1] Reply Report Abuse

  • SMR, karkala

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Is BJP Udupi will answer the following;
    1) Padmapriya Bhat, the wife of Udupi BJP MLA Raghupati Bhat, went missing on June 10. Why did it take three days for Bhat to report her disappearance? From the video above, it appears he told the police she was missing only when they contacted him about the abandoned car. Did he already know where she had gone, and why?
    2) The distance from Udupi to Mulki is 32 km. The car was found 12 km from her parents’ place. Even if her husband or her family did not notice her disappearance, how come the abandoned car was not noticed, or reported to the police for three days? How come Bhat’s children were staying with his parents in Udupi?
    3) Padmapriya’s mother’s house was just 32 km away from Udupi. She had a car and she knew how to drive. Why would she take Bhat’s permission to go there for a pooja, as Bhat claims?
    4) Bhat claims the land line of his in-laws was dead, which is why he couldn’t reach them even when Padmapriya was not answering her mobile phone. Was the dead landline reported to the telephone authorities? If so, when?
    5) On what basis did home minister V.S. Acharya claim in a newspaper interview it was a “half-kidnap”? And what exactly is a “half-kidnap”?
    6) Unnamed police officials claimed on June 14 that PP was in a resort in Malur (Kolar) and that she would be brought to Udupi on June 15. HM V.S. Acharya was “all right she was alive and she would be reunited with her family in matter of hours”. Was she really in Malur or was it a red herring thrown by the police to keep the media off the tracks and to buy time without indicating to Padmapriya that they knew where she was? How come Malur police did not know PP was in their jurisdiction while Mangalore police did?
    7) Then HM Acharya claims that “Our police had established that she was in Delhi three days ago“. If true, did the Karnataka government make any effort to keep a watch on her movements for three days? Why did it take them 4 hrs to get in?
    JaiHind

    DisAgree [4] Agree [20] Reply Report Abuse

  • Gururaj Padiar, Udupi

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Even though, I am a supporter of BJP, first I look at the candidate before casting my vote. Here in comparison Pramod Madhwaraj stands tall in front of Raghupati Bhat in all aspects. Whether it is completing the development work as promised and his skills to get the work done, character, attitude, etc made Pramod to become popular among people of his constituency irrespect of peoples party affiliation.
    Every individual has a right to vote to their favourite candidate, some vote by looking at the candidate and some vote based on their affiliation to the party. My sincere advice to all the voters is, please first check the candidates ability, his development work or skills, his character, how much he can fight for you. Check first, can he go against his own government to fight for you if you have faced any injustice. After checking all this, you caste your vote to the most able candidate keeping aside his party affiliation.
    As per my prediction, Pramod will win this election. Because people like me vote looking at the candidate.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [43] Reply Report Abuse

  • santhu BIRUVE, Mumbai/Udupi

    Wed, May 09 2018

    More chance for pramodi. BT BJP will form Gvt with clear majority.

    DisAgree [23] Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • Raj, Udupi

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Development Vs BLUE BOY.

    DisAgree Agree [18] Reply Report Abuse

  • Lenson, Kenya, NAIROBI

    Wed, May 09 2018

    If no. 1 MLA doesn't win, who else can win. Better BJP can give walkover here.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [23] Reply Report Abuse

  • gireesh, bengaluru

    Wed, May 09 2018

    PRAMOD RE SHAPED UDUPI


    MADWARAJ FAMILY HAS CONTRIBUTED A LOT FOR THE PEOPLE OF UDUPI RIGHT FROM HIS FATHER ...... BE GREATFUL.....

    DisAgree [4] Agree [38] Reply Report Abuse

  • Vincent Rodrigues, Bengaluru/Katapadi

    Wed, May 09 2018

    PRAMOD HAD DONE EXCELLENT WORK AND HOPE THE VOTERS WILL NEVER FORGET IT WHEN THEY GO FOR VOTE

    DisAgree [4] Agree [28] Reply Report Abuse

  • gireesh, bengaluru

    Wed, May 09 2018

    PRAMOD IS DEPENDENT ON VOTE BASED ON DEVELOPMENTAL WORKS DONE......

    RAGHUPATI BHAT DEPENDENT ON MODI WAVE AND COW BHAGYA..

    DisAgree [6] Agree [39] Reply Report Abuse

  • Anil, Dubai

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Raghupati Bhat well aware that he will loose the election in-front off Pramod Madhwaraj….

    DisAgree [3] Agree [41] Reply Report Abuse

  • gireesh, bengaluru

    Wed, May 09 2018

    IF PROMOD DOES NOT WIN THIS ELECTION THERE IS NO MEANING FOR THE WORD "WIN"

    DisAgree [6] Agree [40] Reply Report Abuse

  • gireesh, bengaluru

    Wed, May 09 2018

    WHILE VOTING FOR PRAMOD MADWARAJ
    DONOT THINK OF PARTY
    HE IS CROSSED THAT BARRIER.......

    DisAgree [4] Agree [43] Reply Report Abuse

  • gireesh, bengaluru

    Wed, May 09 2018

    dear people of udupi
    if you donot vote for pramod then be sure you are loosing a biggest asset in udupi.

    VOTE FOR PRAMOD MADWARAJ

    DisAgree [3] Agree [25] Reply Report Abuse

  • gireesh, bengaluru

    Wed, May 09 2018

    dear people of udupi
    if you donot vote for pramod then be sure you are loosing a biggest asset in udupi.

    DisAgree [5] Agree [36] Reply Report Abuse

  • gireesh, bengaluru

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Hello

    Be prepared to celebrate Pramod's victory
    buy crackers and book flowers at stores.

    DisAgree [4] Agree [36] Reply Report Abuse

  • k b r, Mangala Uru

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Raghupathi Bhat is multi-talented including movie acting...

    DisAgree [6] Agree [29] Reply Report Abuse

  • Ronald, Udupi

    Wed, May 09 2018

    What type of movies???

    DisAgree [2] Agree [16] Reply Report Abuse

  • Amith, USA

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Movie: You too Brutos!!!!!

    DisAgree [1] Agree [6] Reply Report Abuse

  • Anand, Mangalore

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Pramod Sir will win more than 20000 votes. Raghupati Butjee we also appreciate your good work done for Udupi. But Pramod Madwaraj is better than you.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [37] Reply Report Abuse

  • Jossey Saldanha, Mumbai

    Wed, May 09 2018

    I am worried about Raghupati Bhat's Movie Business ...

    DisAgree [5] Agree [31] Reply Report Abuse

  • Declan, Mumbai

    Wed, May 09 2018

    The only interest for us is to see the margin of victory by which Pramod Madhwaraj wins. We wish him all the best !

    DisAgree [3] Agree [33] Reply Report Abuse

  • Raghavendra M K, Mumbai Maharashtra

    Wed, May 09 2018

    IT IS PRAMOD MADHWARAJ AT UDIPI.

    DisAgree [6] Agree [36] Reply Report Abuse

  • Steevan Dsouza, Dubai/Mlr

    Wed, May 09 2018

    One side match...Pramod Madhwaraj is already won ....

    DisAgree [4] Agree [33] Reply Report Abuse

  • sunitha, udupi

    Wed, May 09 2018

    We the people of udupi have seen the work of Pramod madwaraj&


    we want peace & development
    so here hindutva card also doesnt work- nor modi card -nor fake bhashans

    DisAgree [9] Agree [45] Reply Report Abuse

  • INDIAN, UDUPI

    Wed, May 09 2018

    PRAMOD THE BEST CANDIDATE.. WE WANT MORE SERVICE FROM HIM...

    VOTE FOR DEVELOPMENT... DONT THINK OF PARTY...

    DisAgree [12] Agree [52] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rajesh, Mangalore

    Wed, May 09 2018

    No doubt Pramod Madhwaraj has done the best work compared to all the ministers. He has developed Udupi into a role model. There is no second thought that this man will be elected again.

    DisAgree [13] Agree [57] Reply Report Abuse

  • Roshan, Mangaluru

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Congress candidate Madhwaraj has ensured development and provided clean administration. In comparison to BJP candidate Raghupati Bhat, was given a chance and failed miserably both professional and personal front.

    DisAgree [10] Agree [49] Reply Report Abuse

  • AD, Mangalore

    Wed, May 09 2018

    If people think Pramod Madhwaraj will get easy victory should think twice. They should not take it easy on voting day.

    DisAgree [15] Agree [26] Reply Report Abuse

  • Mahi, Mangalore

    Wed, May 09 2018

    As per the recent surveys, BJP is sweeping DK and Udupi districts. Only 3 seats are given to Congress, is Udupi one of them ?

    DisAgree [63] Agree [19] Reply Report Abuse

  • Stan, Udupi/Dubai

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Are u referring to BBC FAKE SURVEY?

    DisAgree [10] Agree [61] Reply Report Abuse

  • STAN, Udupi/Dubai

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Bhats pastis going to haunt him in this election also. Easy cakewalk for Congress. Madhwaraj is the best man to represent this constituency. With Billavas , Mogaveeras, christians , Muslims on his side it will not be a photo finish, but easy victory.

    DisAgree [10] Agree [60] Reply Report Abuse

  • kp, udupi

    Wed, May 09 2018

    you are right. thats what congress is doing from many years by dividing religion and cast and made vote bank by saying mogaveeras,muslims,christians,etc.

    DisAgree [41] Agree [11] Reply Report Abuse

  • SAMAD, Mangalore

    Wed, May 09 2018

    I being Muslim we did not have problem from Congress...but we have many problems from BJP

    DisAgree [5] Agree [32] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rakesh, Mundkur

    Wed, May 09 2018

    Being a Hindu proud to say congress is ruling karnataka...we dont have any problem from congress...

    DisAgree [6] Agree [41] Reply Report Abuse

  • SHAHID, SHIRVA

    Wed, May 09 2018

    PRAMOD MADHWARAJ WILL SWEEP ALL THE VOTES...AND WILL WIN IN HUGE...

    DisAgree [12] Agree [72] Reply Report Abuse


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Title: Udupi: Pramod Madhwaraj vs Raghupati Bhat - Interesting battle ahead



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