LS 2024: Yet another face-off between seasoned politicians Kota Srinivas Poojary & Jayaprakash Hegde

Decades after being pitted against each other in Brahmavara Assembly elections, seasoned politicians Kota Srinivas Poojary and Jayaprakash Hegde will once again face off against each other from the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru constituency in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

In recent times, the Udupi constituency has been a stronghold of the BJP and the party has secured victory in 1 by-election and 7 general elections since 2008 till date. The Congress on the other hand emerged victorious in the 2012 Lok Sabha by-elections with a lead of 11,423 votes and in the 2013 assembly elections with 39,524 votes.

Notably, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections BJP secured victory with a record margin of 44,261 votes while the lead was 32,775 votes in the 2023 Assembly elections.

BJP candidate Kota Srinivas Poojary and Congress candidate K Jayaprakash Hegde both happen to be popular among the masses and it will be interesting to see the election results this time.

Enthusiasm on the rise: 

The BJP and Congress used Ambedkar Jayanti as a major election campaign plank. While Congress conducted a special campaign at the booth level on the occasion of Ambedkar Jayanti, BJP organized programs at Shaktikendra, Mahashakti Kendra. Both parties have begun campaigning fiercely across the constituency. People’s representatives and leaders are participating in campaign meetings and the much-needed boost is being given by state and national leaders.

Changing trends:

The BJP has managed to capitalize on its lead in every Lok Sabha election. As per stats, BJP’s D V Sadananda Gowda won with a lead of 5,225 votes in 2009. The lead further increased to 32,674 and 44,261 votes in the 2014 and 2019 elections with Shobha Karandlaje as BJP candidate. Meanwhile, Jayaprakash Hegde had a lead of 11,423 votes in the 2012 by-election.

The situation was slightly different in the last election as Congress did not field an official candidate. The JDS-Congress alliance candidate was in the fray. However, this time the Congress candidate has fielded JP Hegde from the constituency. Despite the alliance, the BJP has retained the seat for itself, considering that the vote bank of JDS is low in the region.

According to political pundits, the caste of the candidates in the constituency will also be a deciding factor in the election.

Familiar faces:

Congress candidate Jayaprakash Hegde and BJP candidate Kota Srinivas Poojary are popular in this constituency as they have been active in politics for decades. Both are well-seasoned politicians who need no introduction. Remarkably both of them have served as ministers in the past.

Translated  from article by Raju Kharvi Koderi