Cry for representation for Kodagu remains unheard

Kodagu district has no independent Lok Sabha constituency and it is merged with Mysuru district.

Though the residents have been demanding the political parties to consider local candidates while issuing tickets, it has not been considered for the last several years.

Kodagu district has five taluks and two Assembly constituencies with 4.35 lakh voters. The district has been represented by an outsider for the last several years.

It was in 1967 that C M Poonaccha from Kodagu had won the election. He lost the next election. When Kodagu was a Part ‘C’ State, Poonaccha had served as a minister. After Poonaccha, none from Kodagu have become an MP. Though former minister B A Jeevijaya had contested, he could not win the election.

There was a demand for tickets for local candidates even before the announcement of Lok Sabha polls. Congress leaders had even met party senior leaders in Bengaluru to consider the candidature of local ticket aspirants.

Madikeri MLA M P Appacchu Ranjan from the BJP had even claimed that he was ready to contest and had appealed to the party high command to issue tickets for aspirants from Kodagu.

Due to the seat-sharing arrangement with the JD(S), the Mysuru-Kodagu constituency has fallen on the Congress. Brijesh Kalappa’s name is in the list of ticket aspirant from Congress.

There was a separate Kodagu state during the first Lok Sabha elections in 1951-52. Nidyamale Somanna was the Lok Sabha member then. After the reconstitution of the states, Kodagu became part of Mangalore constituency.

In 1957—K R Achar from Mangalore, 1962—Shankar Alva served as Member of Parliament. C M Poonacha had represented Mangalore constituency from 1967-71. After 1971, only outsiders have represented Kodagu in the Parliament.