BJP makes clean sweep in Udupi ULB polls

The BJP continued its Assembly elections’ performance in the district and made a clean sweep by winning the majority seats in 3 Urban Local Bodies (ULB) in the district.

In Karkala Town Municipal Council, both the Congress and the BJP have won 11 seats each, while an Independent candidate has bagged one seat. In 1968, the saffron party under the leadership of late minister Dr V S Acharya had won majority seats in Udupi City Municipal Council. It was the first ever victory of Jana Sangh in an urban municipality in South India then.

In a way, the saffron party celebrated the golden jubilee marking that event by bagging the majority of seats.

On the results, the Udupi MLA Raghupathy Bhat said: “In 1968, Jan Sangha had won 13 seats out of 19 seats. The history has repeated with the BJP winning with thumping majority. We will develop Udupi as dreamt by Acharya.”

He added: “Mission 30 of the BJP was successful in Udupi CMC. In fact, BJP candidates had not won in Gopalapura, Kakkunje, Vadabhandeshwara, Kodankooru wards so far. The voters have broken the myth that the BJP would not win in these wards.”

Former president of the CMC Madhava Bannaje has lost.

Puneeth Poojary (Cong) of Thodukattu ward defeated his BJP rival by just one vote. He polled 355 votes.

In Udupi CMC, the BJP won 31 seats out of 35, while the Congress bagged just 4 seats.

In Kundapura TMC, of 23 seats, the BJP won 14, the Congress 8 and an Independent one.

In Saligrama Town Panchayat, of 16 seats, the BJP won 10, the Congress 5 and an Independent one.