BJP, Congress & JDS Lock Horns in Kumta-Honnavar But Voters Remind of Bad Roads, No Water Supply

The Uttara Kannada region, a part of coastal Karnataka, is considered the stronghold of BJP where communal issues have ruled the roost.

The region consists of six assembly constituencies where five are with the BJP, one with Congress and the JDS has failed to open its account. However, in this election, all eyes are on Kumta town where JDS is trying to mark its footprint in Uttara Kannada district by fielding ex-BJP neta and a strong Naik community leader Suraj Naik against incumbent BJP MLA Dinakar Keshav Shetty and Congress leader Nivedith Alva.

The scenic Kumta town lies on the coastline of Arabian Sea and boasts of beaches with black rocks, ancient temples and sprawling greenery.

Known for offering a relaxing experience, the town right now is dealing with high political temperatures as the people of Kumta-Honnavar constituency say there is neck-and-neck competition among the three parties. The close fight, however, is going to be between Congress and JDS candidates as BJP’s Dinakar Shetty faces anti-incumbency. Some voters, meanwhile, claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s entry into the Uttara Kannada region may help the BJP MLA sway voters.

The people of the town had predicted that the Congress would give the ticket to former MLA Sharadha Mohan but it came as a shock when the party high command decided to go with a fresh face Nivedith Alva, son of former Rajya Sabha member Margaret Alva, who went on to become the Governor of several states. Residents say it is not going to be easy for Alva as he is not a local of Kumta but belongs to Sirsi. His opponent too called it a blunder by the Congress party.

Meanwhile, the JDS seems to have played smart by going with Suraj Naik who was in BJP earlier and was one of the accused in the Paresh Mesta case in 2017. However, he left the party and joined JDS in 2019, hoping that the party will fulfil his dream of contesting an election.

In a chat with News18, Naik said: “I am an accused in the Paresh Mesta case but the BJP used the case politically and went on to win the 2018 election. This time, it will backfire because they didn’t give justice to the family. Also, the town is rich in resources but BJP didn’t utilise it well and the town lacks development.”

Meanwhile, Congress’ Nivedith Alva said: “I might not be a local of Kumta but people identify me by the work that I have done as a party worker. The party chose me over 14 aspirants and we are working together by keeping development in focus.”

BJP’s Dinakar Shetty seemed confident of winning the election as he said: “I have done a lot but what opponents allege doesn’t matter because my office is filled with people I have helped. One can’t spot such crowds in Congress and JDS offices.”

While the political wrangling continues, voters on the ground told News18 that civic issues such as bad roads, old bridges posing a threat to locals and commuters and no water supply in the interior villages were on their minds. There is also not a single multi-specialty hospital in the whole town and people are forced to rush to neighbouring Udupi, Mangalore or Goa in case specialised medical attention is needed.

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