Poojary’s experience at grassroots will work in his favour: Bhandary

Mangaluru: KPCC working president Manjunath Bhandary on Wednesday said that while Congress candidate Raju Poojary's prospects may seem weak when viewed numerically, his extensive grassroots experience positions him for potential success.
Addressing media on the upcoming bypoll for the MLC seat from the Dakshina Kannada Local Authorities constituency, Bhandary said that Poojary's extensive work in local governance at various levels, including the gram panchayat, taluk panchayat and zilla panchayat, as well as his three-and-a-half decades of service in the Congress, will enable Poojary to garner support from local body members across all 13 assembly constituencies.
Bhandary said the party had developed a strategy to engage with these members to secure backing for Poojary. He noted that since local body members are not elected under party symbols, they are more likely to prioritise the candidate's qualifications over party affiliation. In contrast, he pointed out that BJP candidate Kishore Kumar Puttur lacks experience with local authorities.
Former minister Vinay Kumar Sorake supported this view, stating that Kishore has not even succeeded in gram panchayat elections, which gives Poojary an advantage. He further indicated that the presence of a Congress govt in the state would also favour Poojary's candidacy. Former BJP MLA Raghupathi Bhat has also said that the Congress candidate is good, he claimed.
Raju Poojary reaffirmed his loyalty to the Congress over the past 25 years. He said that the voters in this bypoll are primarily GP members who were not elected based on party affiliations and he is confident they will support him.