Sunil Kumar, Bhoje Gowda accept defeat

March 21, 2012

Udupi, March 21: BJP candidate V Sunil Kumar and JD(S) candidate S L Bhoje Gowda have accepted their defeat in the Udupi-Chikmagalur bypolls to the Lok Sabha.

Addressing the party workers at district BJP office in the city Mr Kumar said that the bypoll results were shocking and unexpected.

Thanking the party workers for campaigning him for nearly three weeks, he said that he considered the bypoll results as his personal defeat and not that of his party.

However, he said that he would continue to be with the people of the constituency eying and take the next assembly elections and general elections of 2014 as a challenge.

In a separate statement, Mr Gowda, who lost deposit, said that he was ready to accept the people's verdict.

He said that one of the main reasons for the poor performance of JD(S) in the bypoll was the propaganda of Congress, which warned the minorities, especially Muslims that split of secular votes would result in the victory of communal candidate.

Meanwhile, Udupi district unit president of JD(S) Deviprasad Shetty has resigned from his post owning moral responsibility for the defeat of his party's candidate.

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Mangaluru–Kasaragod bus fare rolled back after Kerala protests force NHAI to shut Arikkady toll plaza

coastaldigest.com news network

February 5,2026

Mangaluru: The KSRTC Mangaluru division has rolled back the fare hike on buses operating on the Mangaluru–Kasaragod route following the suspension of toll collection at the Arikkady toll plaza near Kumbala in Kasaragod district.

The fare revision had been implemented after the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) began toll collection at the Arikkady plaza on NH-66. As a result, fares for ordinary and Rajahamsa services were increased by ₹7 and ₹10, respectively, raising the bus fare from Mangaluru to Kasaragod from ₹81 to ₹88.

Senior Divisional Controller of KSRTC’s Mangaluru division, Rajesh Shetty, said the fares were reduced after toll collection at the Arikkady plaza was stopped. “The tollgate began operations on January 13, and the toll amount was deducted from the FASTag accounts of KSRTC buses operating on the route. Following an order from the central government to suspend toll collection, KSRTC has also withdrawn the additional fare with immediate effect,” he said.

At present, vehicles travelling on the Mangaluru–Kasaragod route pay toll only at the Talapady toll plaza. The toll for light motor vehicles (LMVs) at Talapady is ₹80 for a same-day return, while heavy vehicles, including buses, are charged ₹250. At Arikkady, the toll rates were ₹130 for LMVs (same-day return) and ₹450 for buses.

Protests against Arikkady toll plaza

The Arikkady toll plaza witnessed widespread protests from January 12, the day toll collection commenced. On the second day, an action committee led by Manjeshwar MLA A K M Ashraf launched an indefinite protest at the site. Except for the BJP, leaders and workers of most major political parties participated in the agitation.

On the night of January 14, a large number of protesters gathered at the plaza and vandalised property, following which authorities temporarily suspended toll operations. The BJP later also expressed opposition to the toll plaza and criticised NHAI’s decision.

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