JR Lobo exits with grace

Mangaluru: Mangaluru South Congress candidate JR Lobo lost the election to his BJP contender and first timer Vedavyas Kamath, much against the general perception.

Lobo accepted his defeat with courage and grace and wrote a long message on his FB page thanking Mangaloreans and party workers for their love and support.

“Hello everyone, the past few days have been a difficult journey for me, as would be for many of you who have been my support since the last 5 years. A loss is never easy to accept, but it forces every one of us to take pause and think about our actions – past, present & future.”

He said that he had toiled for five years with the vision of putting Mangalore on the Global map in terms of quality of living, safety, development, and job opportunities. He lamented that he cannot continue to work on these lines.

“While this has come as a shock to most of us, we have to remember that change is inevitable in life. The important thing is to keep hope alive – hope for a better future worth leaving to our children. I am eternally grateful to you, Mangaloreans – young & old, rich & poor, people of all communities, for having given me an opportunity to serve you as your MLA in the past 5 years. Let us keep our heads high and the hope alive for an even better tomorrow,” the message read.

 Lobo wished MLA elect Vedavyas Kamath for the next five years and said,  “I hope that he would serve the people of Mangaluru with the same, if not more, love and compassion as I put into my service in the past years to the people of Mangaluru.”

“Love one another as you love your own family, as Mangalore continues to surge forward as one family that cannot be separated by anything,” concluded his message.