Ashok Kumar Rai wins Puttur constituency; Puthila wins hearts

In a closely contested election, independent candidate Arun Kumar Puthila gave a tough fight to Ashok Rai of the Indian National Congress (INC) in the Puttur constituency.

As the votes were counted on Saturday, May 13 the results revealed a neck-and-neck competition between the two candidates. The final tally showed that Ashok Rai emerged as the winner by a slim margin.

Arun Kumar Puthila, who contested as an independent candidate, gave a stiff challenge to Ashok Rai. Puthila, who is a social worker, managed to gain a lot of support from the people of Puttur.

The election in Puttur was closely watched by political analysts and observers. Despite the tough fight put up by Arun Kumar Puthila, Ashok Rai managed to win the seat.

Though Arun Kumar Puthila lost the election he has won people’s hearts, as many of them took to social media to appreciate the leader’s efforts.

Puthila was a strong aspirant for the BJP ticket from Puttur, and his supporters were unhappy over the party overlooking him in favour of a relatively unknown candidate, former zilla panchayat member Asha Thimmappa Gowda.

His entry had threatened the prospects of the BJP in a seat it has lost only once since 1994. That was in 2013, and even then, the Congress win was on account of former BJP MLA Shakunthala Shetty joining its ranks.