With a lot at stake both for the ruling BJP and the Congress, all eyes are on the Udupi-Chikmagalur parliamentary constituency which goes to polls on Sunday. The interest is high as a close contest is expected between the BJP and the Congress.
The stakes are especially high for Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda who represented the constituency before resigning to take over as CM. A defeat in this election may cost him dearly as he could be held responsible for it by his rivals within the party. “If the BJP is defeated then his rivals could demand the Chief Minister's resignation. The party has to win this seat to strengthen his position,” said a senior BJP leader. The by-election has brought the facitonalism in the party to the fore as former Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa and ministers loyal to him did not campaign for it.
The elections are important for the Congress too which is trying to make a comeback in the constituency after about a decade. For once its leaders were united in the campaign and all four Union ministers from Karnataka, top leaders of the AICC and KPCC descended on the two districts to woo the voters on behalf of the party. The JD(S) which does not have much influence in Udupi, but is strong in Chikmagalur is confident of grabbing a considerable number of votes .
Considering the sensitivity of the elections and the presence of Naxals in some of its taluks , the police has put in place tight security to ensure free and fair elections. Two SP grade officers, six DySPs, 20 Circle Inspectors, 416 police officials, 2,843 police personnel, 1,361 Home Guards, 34 units of the Armed Reserve Police, 26 units of the District Armed Reserve Police and 10 units of the Central Paramilitary Force have been deployed for the election. Forty one checkposts too have been established to stop liquor or cash from being smuggled .
As many as 14 candidates are contesting the election. The main contenders are V Sunil Kumar of the BJP, K Jayaprakash Hegde of Congress and S L Bhoje Gowda of the JD(S).