Mangaluru: Without striking an alliance with any party in the district, Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), will finalize its candidates for all constituencies in Dakshina Kannada district within a week.
The party which has decided to contest from 50 seats in the state, is planning to contest all seats in DK district. Since its inception, in the last nine years, SDPI has strengthened itself in Dakshina Kannada district. Though the party is yet to enter the assembly, it has succeeded in increasing its vote percentage and also grabbed several seats in both Rural and Urban Local Bodies including Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC).
SDPI leaders have declared that they will give tough competition to other parties particularly in constituencies like Bantwal and Mangaluru City North where there are considerable Dalit and Minority votes. "The candidate for Bantwal has been declared. The party will declare the names for the remaining seats in about one week," district president AM Atavulla told Deccan Chronicle.
Congress leaders have been alleging that SDPI entering the fray will only help the BJP by splitting secular votes but Atavulla has denied these charges. "In the 2013 election, we had contested from seven seats. Except Sullia, in all other seats, the Congress emerged victorious. If their charges that SDPI will split the minority votes is true, then BJP should have won," Atavulla said.
He welcomed AICC president Rahul Gandhi's call to secular parties to unitedly fight the BJP but wondered if the Congress would implement its promises in the forthcoming assembly election. "Even in those constituencies where SDPI is stronger than the Congress, the latter is fielding its candidates. The best example is in Narasimharaja constituency in Mysuru where we had come second in 2013. Congress is fielding its candidate there. We are a secular party. Why can't the Congress support us? Why shouldn't it support SDPI in Bantwal where there are 65,000 Muslim votes?" he wondered.
