Gram panchayat polls: Congress fares bad in Dakshina Kannada, leaders blamed

Mangaluru/Udupi: The victory of BJP supported candidates in Udupi and Dakshina Kannada districts in the recent gram panchayat elections has left Congress party workers fuming. Annoyed with the poor performance of the party, workers have blamed two district in-charge ministers - Vinay Kumar Sorake and B. Ramanath Rai for the defeat. They reportedly expressed their anger against the ministers before All India Congress Committee Election Committee member Oscar Fernandes last week.

In the recently held panchayat election, Congress backed candidates suffered a severe setback in the coastal districts. Of the total 3397 panchayat seats in Dakshina Kannada district, BJP supporters won 1825 seats (53.72 per cent seats) and Congress had to be content with 1417 seats (41.71 per cent). In Udupi district too, Congress lost out to the BJP. Of the total 2398 seats, BJP backed candidates won 1301 seats (54.25 per cent) and Congress 1031 (43 per cent).

In 2010, Congress supported candidates had won 49.87 seats in Dakshina Kannada and BJP 43.04 per cent. In Udupi, Congress then had won 47.71 per cent seats and BJP over 48.37. “The entire responsibility for the defeat should be borne by Ramanath Rai and Vinaykumar Sorake. This defeat is the result of the attitude adopted by these leaders and their negligent attitude towards party workers.

Both leaders failed to organise the party in their respective districts,” a senior Congress leader told Deccan Chronicle. “Last week when AICC general secretary Oscar Fernandes toured the region, many party workers complained against the in-charge ministers. Some even demanded that they be dropped in the next cabinet reshuffle. Mr Oscar Fernandes tried to pacify them and is trying his best to bring back rebel Congress candidates who won, to the party fold,” he said.

“Ramanath Rai is the president of the District Congress Committee but could not even succeed in his own panchayat- Kallige where the BJP succeeded in winning 6 seats and the Congress only 5,” a former Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee office bearer said, adding, “In the 2010 panchayat election, Congress was ahead of BJP in DK district. But this time we have been defeated despite Congress being in power in the state and the coastal districts having four ministers.”