MANGALORE: Sometimes poll results defy explanation. In 1994, entrepreneur I M Jayaram Shetty contested for the first time from Byndoor (Udupi) on a BJP ticket in 1994 Assembly elections.
He defeated his opponent from the Congress by a margin of 11,249 votes. He polled 29,764 votes while his rival from Congress secured 18,515 votes. Jayaram Shetty next contested 1996 Lok Sabha elections from Udupi on a BJP ticket and defeated Oscar Fernandes from Congress. A close study of the poll results revealed that the victory margin of votes was repeated in Lok Sabha elections too. In Byndoor Assembly constituency, Oscar Fernandes had polled 19,815 votes and Jayaram Shetty had polled 31,064 votes retaining an exact margin of 11,249 votes.
Strange but true...