Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Jan 30: The stand taken by the election commission not to hold bypoll along with the assembly elections being held in five states during March this year, has come as a dampener for the political parties and aspirants, who were preparing to drum up tempo to snatch victory in the bypoll for Udupi-Chikmagalur Lok Sabha constituency, vacated by MP-turned-MLC and Chief Minister, D V Sadananda Gowda.
A number of candidates from different political parties and leaderships of these parties were getting ready to fight the bypoll by snatching the initiative from others, but for now, they will have to control their enthusiasm.
Some feel that the commission might hold this bypoll along with bypoll for the 24 assembly seats, which have been vacated in Andhra Pradesh due to resignations of MLAs, who have been demanding for the formation of separate Telangana state.
It is generally felt that the elections for these seats will not be held during the budget sessions of the states and the union government. After that, SSLC and other examinations will make it difficult to get election staff. Therefore, it is analyzed that bypoll for this Lok Sabha constituency will be held not before the third week of April this year.
For BJP, this constituency poses prestige issue, as the Chief Minister had represented it. At the same time, Congress, the candidate of which had been defeated by a comparatively small margin of nearly 30,000 votes, feels that its chances this time have become brighter because of scams of the government and infighting in BJP. Both the parties have already held meetings to choose a suitable candidate, and have given impetus to the task of strengthening organizational unity at grassroots.
At the same time, as both the parties have almost finalized their candidates, the candidates are anxiously hoping that their chances will not be eroded with the passage of time, as two months gap is quite big, and adverse developments if any during this period can jeopardize their chances.