Karnataka Assembly polls: 44 aspirants apply for Congress tickets in Dakshina Kannada

As many as 44 aspirants from Dakshina Kannada have applied for Congress tickets to contest for the state Assembly elections from eight constituencies in the district.

The KPCC has received only one application -- from MLA U T Khader -- for the Mangaluru constituency.

Thirteen applicants have submitted applications to contest from Puttur constituency.

Three aspirants from Belthangady, three from Moodbidri, seven from Mangaluru City South, nine from Mangaluru City North, three from Bantwal and five from Sullia have submitted their applications to the KPCC seeking tickets to contest the upcoming Assembly elections.

November 21 was the last date for the ticket aspirants to submit applications to the KPCC. The party had made it mandatory for aspirants from the general category to deposit a demand draft for Rs 2 lakh while applying for tickets and candidates from SC/ST communities will have a 50 per cent discount in the amount to be deposited.

The KPCC had fixed Rs 5,000 as the application fee.

Former corporator and KPCC coordinator Prathibha Kulai has submitted two applications seeking tickets -- one for Moodbidri constituency and another for Mangaluru City North.

Former Youth Congress district president Mithun Rai, who contested in the previous Lok Sabha election, had submitted an application to contest from Moodbidri.

Former MLAs K Vasanth Bangera (Belthangady), J R Lobo (Mangaluru City South), B A Mohiuddin Bava (Mangaluru City North), B Ramanath Rai (Bantwal) and Shakunthala T Shetty (Puttur) have submitted applications for the respective constituencies they represented previously.

Former MLC Ivan D’Souza has also applied for a ticket to contest from Mangaluru City South.

Some of the prominent leaders who applied for tickets are corporators A C Vinayraj, Block Congress president Vishwas Kumar Das, women's wing president Shalet Pinto for Mangaluru City South, KPCC general secretary Inayat Ali, former mayors Shashidhar Hegde and Kavitha Sanil and youth Congress president Lukman Bantwal have applied for Mangaluru City North. Former ZP members Bharath Mundodi, M S Mohammed and Mamatha Gatti, former chairperson of KSCPCR have applied for Puttur and former corporator Appi has applied for Sullia.

District Congress Committee president and MLC K Harish Kumar told DH that the election committee of the Congress at the state-level will scrutinise the constituency-wise applications received and will be shortlisted.

Later, it will be sent to the central election committee of the party. If there is tough competition, then the party high command, along with KPCC president and CLP leader, will take a call on the final candidate.