Mangaluru: JD(S) official candidate from the undivided Dakshina Kannada constituency Praveen Chandra said that he was hopeful of winning the polls as a lot of the Congress and the BJP insiders have expressed their support in person.
Addressing a press meet on Monday December 14, Praveen Chandra said that the members of Panchayats at various levels have seen him work and have been according him a warm welcome during the ongoing campaign. He said that Congress is split due to rebel candidates in the party and that most of the Congress members are against their official candidate Pratapchandra
Shetty, while the BJP members wanted a new face.
He said that as there is no scope to ouster anybody among the Gram Panchayat members for voting their favourite candidate, he certainly has an upper hand.
Revealing his prime intention if he wins the polls, he said he would strengthen all the Gram Panchayats in the constituency. He assured that he would foster the Mandal system, the taluk and zilla parishad which the Congress government has weakened over a period of time.
It is to be noted that the JD(S) had fielded two candidates from the undivided DK, namely Praveen Chandra from Belthangady and Prakash Shetty from Udupi and later made Praveen Chandra the official candidate. However Prakash Shetty refused to withdraw the candidature. On speaking about this, JD(S) DK District President Mohammed Kunhi said that the reason behind Shetty’s decision is ‘unclear’ and that party leader HD Kumaraswamy will issue a final statement about it tomorrow.
