Harshini Brahmavar

Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Sep 4: BJP has registered stupendous victory in the local city municipal election. It has repeated the performance the party registered during the period the late Dr V S Acharya was at the helm here about 50 years back, when the party had secured 13 out of 19 seats in the municipality. This time the party has won 31 out of 35 seats in the city municipal council here.

Malpe Central, Kola, Odabhandeshwara, Kodavoor, Kalmady, Mudabettu and Kodankur wards, all of which had predominance of Congress party and were considered to be wards in the tight grip of former minister, Pramod Madhwaraj, have now slipped out of that party's hands and gone to the BJP.

The biggest ward of the municipality, Gopalpura, has also been bagged this time by the BJP. Amritha Krishnamurthy however has braved the BJP onslaught and won fourth time from Kinnimulki ward here from the Congress.

BJP celebrating

Winning Congress candidate

Sumitra R Nayak of BJP has been elected from Parkala ward for the third time in succession. At the same time, Bailoor ward, a prestigious ward where both the parties were felt to be on equal footing, has gone to Ramesh Kanchan of the Congress.

Geetha Devaraya Shet from Kadiyali ward, who left Congress and fought on behalf of BJP, has succeeded in winning with a large margin. Geetha Ravi Shet of Olakadu ward, who had rebelled against BJP and entered the election fray as an independent, had to bite the dust. As if to add insult to the injury of Congress party, several new candidates put up by the BJP have floored the Congress candidates who contested against them.

The general analysis of the election outcome is that the people have rejected the Congress rule. There is also an opinion among the masses that disinterestedness on the part of the Congress, arrogance and internal bickering within that party have worked against its interests in the election. They credit BJP for Modi wave, ground work of MLA Raghupati Bhat and strategy of the party for its grand victory. In cases where reservation criteria proved to be stumbling block, the BJP had fielded the spouses of the current corporators, which proved to be a winning strategy at the end.

Now BJP is not bothered about the reservation criteria for the election of municipal president and vice president as it has candidates hailing from all the categories now.