KASARGOD: Manjeshwar, which earned a name for its razor thin winning margins, has started turning more volatile with frictions emerging each passing day. Days after a former League leader announced he would contest as an independent, the SDPI, which usually abstains from contesting assembly elections, has allegedly decided to field a candidate.
The Konkani Latin Christian Association is also contemplating on fielding an independent candidate. The Konkani Christians or Mangalorean Catholics is a religious minority community that has traditionally backed UDF. There are around 7,000 Konkani Latin Christians in Manjeshwar. Its major grievance is that the LDF and UDF governments have ignored their long-pending demand of considering them for the Latin Christian reservation in Kerala. Nevertheless, the decision to field a candidate is in discussion stage. There is also a fear that weakening the UDF candidate would result in empowering the BJP.
Meanwhile, SDPI leaders said the party will field their candidates. “Abstaining the assembly elections is weakening our political relevance,” said Abdul Salam, former district president of SDPI.
He said, “Our objective is to defeat the BJP. Yet, our efforts are hardly reciprocated. After elections, both the fronts continue branding us extremists,” said Salam. SDPI maintains its presence in the border villages and its ideology is seen as the fitting response to the Hindutva ideology the coastal Karnataka is famous for.