The Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha constituency has the rare distinction of being one that includes coastal, Malnad and plain regions. Sringeri, Mudigere and parts of Chikmagalur assembly segments come under Malnad while Tarikere and eastern Chikmagalur are plains. The four Assembly constituencies in Udupi district — Kundapur, Karkala, Kaup and Udupi — are coastal areas.
Interestingly, the candidates of the three major political parties — Congress, BJP and JD(S) — are from the coastal belt. Sitting MP K Jayaprakash Hegde is the Congress candidate, while Shobha Karandlaje and V Dhananjaya Kumar are given BJP and JD(S) tickets respectively.
But it is likely to be a two-way battle between the Congress and the BJP, just like in 2009, when Hegde defeated BJP candidate V Sunil Kumar.
Other candidates in the fray are BSP’s Zakir Hussain, CPI(ML)’s Jagannath, CPM’s Vijayakumar, AAP’s S H Gurudev and four independents. Currently, the Congress holds Udupi, Kaup and Tarikere assembly constituencies, while the BJP holds Karkala, Chikmagalur and Sringeri.
The main talking points in the constituency are encroachments of forest land, areca ban, loan waiver for coffee growers and the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats. Drinking water crisis and coconut cultivation woes grip the plains. Hegde said the BJP has been “spreading rumours” of the arecanut ban to mislead farmers. He said Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar has ruled out any such proposal. “I have done a lot to bail out coffee growers. I am confident that the people will not let me down,” he said.
Karandlaje said the BJP high command chose her as the constituency has a large number of female voters. Meanwhile, JD(S)’s Dhanajay Kumar, who was “let down” by B S Yeddyurappa, said he wants to “strengthen JD(S)” along the coast and isn’t too concerned about victory or loss. Kumar is a former BJP member.
On the caste front, Billavas and Bunts each account for 1.50 lakh votes in the constituency. There are around 90,000 Lingayat, 1 lakh Vokkaliga and 80,000 Brahmin voters. Religious minorities account for around 80,000 votes, and SC/ST voters around 2.5 lakh. Hegde is a Bunt, Karandlaje a Vokkaliga and Dhananjay Kumar a Jain.