Mangaluru/Udupi: In a repeat of its impressive show in the Assembly elections, the BJP swept Udupi and except for Karkala, reduced the Congress to single digit in all the other ULBs in the district! The BJP won back the Udupi CMC from the Congress. The party and its predecessor, the Jan Sangh, had been in power in Udupi Municipality since 1968 (except in 1997) but lost to the Congress in 2013. In Kundapur and Saligrama, the BJP repeated its victory and also increased its number of seats.
In Karkala, the Congress and BJP won 11 seats each and an independent candidate (BJP rebel) won one seat. Even if the Independent candidate supports the Congress, the BJP can come to power with the votes of the local MP and MLA. In Dakshina Kannada district, the BJP achieved a clear majority in Puttur Municipality which it had lost in 2013. In Bantwal, the BJP won 11 seats and the Congress, 12. The SDPI which has four seats, is likely to play a decisive role here.
Though the Congress remains the largest party in Ullal Municipality- the home constituency of Minister U.T. Khader, its number of seats has seen a fall. The Congress could win only 13 seats of the 31 with the SDPI which won six seats, making a dent into its numbers. In Saligrama, Punitha Poojary of Congress won by just one vote against Karunakara of BJP. Punitha secured 355 votes against Karunakara’s 354.
