MANGALURU: Coastal region The saffron surge continued in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts with the BJP emerging victorious in four of the seven urban local bodies (ULBs). The party swept Udupi CMC by winning 31 of 35 seats and Puttur CMC by bagging 25 of 31 seats. In Kundapur and Saligrama TMCs, the party managed to get a comfortable majority.
The ruling Congress faced drubbing in the two districts, a free fall from 2013 when it had wrested power in five of seven ULBs. In Ullal and Bantwal CMCs, it got the highest seats, but SDPI and JD(S) hold the key. In Karkala, an independent member has become the kingmaker.
SDPI, which did not contest the recent Assembly election in “support of secular parties,” has rocked the Congress boat and will hold the key in Bantwal and Ullal CMCs, where Congress has fallen short of three seats each to obtain a majority. The result was more shocking to Urban Development Minister U T Khader as Congress failed to get a majority in his Ullal CMC. Even some of his close associates had to bite the dust.
Congress also failed to get a majority in Bantwal, which was till recently represented by B Ramanath Rai in the Assembly. It won 12 seats in Bantwal CMC, while BJP got 11 and SDPI 4. In Kundapur TMC, the BJP pocketed 14 of 23 seats. Congress won eight, while the remaining one went to an Independent. In all, out of 206 wards that went for polls in DK and Udupi districts, BJP won 108, Congress - 58, SDPI - 11, JD(S) - four and 25 seats were wrested by Independents.