Mangaluru: As many as four candidates filed nominations for the upcoming MLC polls at the DC’s office in Mangaluru on Monday December 7.
The BJP candidate from Udupi – Dakshina Kannada constituency and Sitting MLC Kota Srinivas Poojary, filed his nomination. He was accompanied by party leaders MLC Capt Ganesh Karnik, Rukmayya Poojary, BJP District President Pratap Simha Nayak, MLA S Angara, former MLA Prabhakar Bangera, Chief Whip of the opposition MLA Sunil Kumar and Lalaji Mendon.
Speaking to reporters, he expressed confidence that he would register a comfortable victory with a clear majority.
Congress candidate and sitting MLC Pratapchandra Shetty, also filed his nomination. Ministers namely Abhaychandra Jain, Ramanath Rai and Vinay Kumar Sorake, Udupi MLA Pramod Madhwaraj, Mangaluru North MLA Moideen Bava, MLC Ivan D’Souza and MUDA President Ibrahim Kodijal accompanied him.
Shetty clarified that though he initially did not want to enter the fray, the party high command and the party workers persuaded him and he has decided to contest the election. He said that he is contesting on his own wish adding that he failed to understand why a section of Congress workers were holding a propaganda against him.
Meanwhile former Congressmen and Congress rebels Jayaprakash Hegde and Bhujanga Shetty filed nominations as independent candidates. They said that the main reasons for them to contest the elections was to challenge the move of the Congress party to field Pratapchandra Shetty and that they were not against the Congress party.
Hedge said that Pratapchandra Shetty himself had been claiming for the past six years that he did not want to contest the polls, however, the party high command was keen on fielding him and that they acted as per their wish. Hedge further said that there was still time for the Congress to withdraw the B-file and field an able candidate. He said that he would withdraw his nomination and his supporters would fully support the Congress if they reconsider their decision and chose either Bhjanga Shetty or Harikrishna Bantwal or any other deserving candidate.
