MANGALURU: It is not jobs, economy or farmer issues that voters in Dakshina Kannada are worried about. The Hindutva hotbed, has largely bought into the idea that nationalism and national security are the agendas that matter this election season. From Mangaluru city to the interior villages of Malekudiyas in Belthangady, people are barely familiar with Rafale deal but are aware of the Pulwama attack and the ensuing Balakot air strikes. For the third time in a row, BJP has fielded Nalin Kumar Kateel, who has represented the constituency since 2009, when the first-ever election was held.
The Congress, in its grand plans of appealing to the Hindutva narrative, has fielded Mithun Rai — a popular youth leader and a debutante. However, voters of the constituency seem to be keen on voting for a Prime Minister directly and not an MP. The MP, for most voters is just a means of ensuring that the party they prefer, comes back to power.
“The government’s responsibility is to take care of the country and I am sure Modi will do it well,” said Gayatri Virupaksha, a 33-year-old homemaker from Ontigatte, Moodabidri, who believes nationalism is equal to voting for the BJP. She, along with two dozen women in her village, roll beedies to make extra money and elections are a hot topic at their common work centres. These women are paid between Rs 160 - Rs 170 for every 1,000 tobacco rolls they produce.
In the 2018 assembly elections, the BJP had swept seven out of the eight seats, with the only exception of Mangaluru, where Congress’ UT Khader won. Last year’s fervour seems to be continuing this year also. Three out of the eight assembly constituencies - Mangaluru city north, Mangaluru city south and Mangaluru - are business centres that suffered setbacks after demonetisation and faced difficulties with the introduction of the GST. Voters agree that demonetisation hurt them but the memories of its impact have now faded. “We all felt a pinch but now things are back to normal.
It is time to think of the future. Strong leadership at the Centre matters. It can’t be a mixture of leaders pulling each other in different directions,” said Uday M, a small trader in Mangalore City North. He claims to be a fan of Congress’ Mithun Rai but is inclined to vote for the BJP so Narendra Modi can come back as the PM.
The minorities in Dakshina Kannada are a worried lot. With Congress also fielding a man with rightist leanings, minorities can’t help but feel that their interests are under-represented. “Our MP has never visited this village, not even when he was invited to take part in our Urus (celebrations held in the local mosque every three years). For him, neither do we exist, nor do our votes matter,” rued Ibrahim Abdul Ahmed, a 65-year-old resident of Amblamogru village in Ullal.
Congress’ candidate Rai does not instil any confidence in Ahmed either. In this Muslim majority village, voters hope to consolidate in favour of SDPI candidate Elyas Muhammed Thumbe. “As much as we speak of voting for SDPI, Muslims won’t consolidate because they know Elyas won’t become MP. They would have preferred to transfer their votes to the Congress but Rai is no different from Kateel when it comes to their ideology,” said Abdus Rehman, a taxi driver from Mangaluru city.
The Malekudiya villages in Belthangady face electricity and connectivity issues. Interior villages, cut off from the luxury of technology, are still struggling for basics like roads but the popularity of Modi is unquestionable. “Is there an alternative? We might as well vote for someone who can use another term and perhaps is able to help us,” said Krishnappa Malekudi, a resident of Malige Bailu in the forests of Belthangady.
While Mangaluru boasts of the highest number of medical colleges and a flourishing real estate, people in the surrounding villages are compelled to work at beedi, brick-making and food packaging factories. Finding jobs is a difficult task with some settling for jobs as house maids, despite holding a degree.