BJP narrowly won Sullia in last Assembly election

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s sitting MLA from Sullia Assembly Constituency, S. Angara, whom the party has decided to field again for the May 12 election, had won the last Assembly election by a narrow margin of 1,373 votes against B. Raghu of the Congress.

The party is fielding Mr. Angara from Sullia, reserved for a Scheduled Castes candidate, for the seventh consecutive term.

He is one among three candidates from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi who have found place in the first list announced by the party in New Delhi on Sunday night.

Earlier, he had won the elections for five times and lost in 1989 when he contested for the first time against K. Kushala of the Congress.

In 2013 election, Mr. Angara secured 65,913 (45.13 %) votes against Mr. Raghu who had polled 65,540 (44.19 %) votes.

The constituency had recorded 82.83 % polling. Nandaraj Sankesh of the Janata Dal (Secular) had got 8,551 (5.85 %) votes. In all, there were nine contestants.

Others included, a candidate each from the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), Karnataka Janata Paksha (KJP) and four Independents. There was A. Angara who contested as an Independent. He had secured 725 votes (0.5 %). In the 2008 elections, Mr. Angara had bagged 61,144 (49.41%) votes against Mr. Raghu who had secured 56,822 (45.91%) votes.

The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) did not field its candidate in the 2013 election in the constituency. Earlier in the 2008 election, its candidate Ramesh Mundodi had secured 2,256 (1.82 %) votes. The BSP has announced that it would field its candidate from Sullia in the coming election.

The Communist Party of India (Marxists) has said that it would not contest from Sullia.

It has already announced its candidates for four Assembly segments – Mangaluru, Mangaluru City North, Mangaluru City South and Moodbidri – in Dakshina Kannada.

The Congress is yet to announce its candidates for all Assembly segments.