Assembly polls: Bunts line up to toss hat in the ring

Mangalore, Mar 4: Reserving two election tickets for Bunts in Assembly polls is a tradition the Congress has been following for long. Denial of ticket to a Bunt candidate in Surathkal had caused chaos last time around and the issue has resurfaced again.

With the tussle for election ticket gaining momentum with the Assembly polls nearing, the demand for more opportunities for Bunts has also gathered steam. At the same time, women candidates have also placed their demand before the party for greater opportunities.

Interestingly, among the women candidates too, names of Bunt candidates are doing rounds. While Kripa Amar Alva's name is being put forth for Mangalore (North) constituency, Shakunthala Shetty's name is being proposed for Puttur.

In Ramanath Rai, Bunts have a fixed representation from the Bantwal constituency. But the other Assembly seat for Bunts has become a topic of discussion in Congress circles. So far, Bunt candidates such as Subbayya Shetty, Adyanthaya, Lokayya Shetty and Vijay Kumar Shetty have served as MLAs from Surathkal constituency. The Congress lost in Surathkal after Bunt representation was given a break. Bunts in the party circle have always been demanding Bunt candidature in Surathkal arguing that the community holds sway over electoral fortunes in the region. But now Bunt representation issue has spread over to Puttur constituency too.

Shakunthala Shetty's joining of the Congress party has not just come as a headache for Bunts vying for Surathkal constituency but also existing women candidates in the party. Aspiring women candidates are said to have conveyed to the pary leadership their resentment at a 'newcomer' being given a shot. That the reference here is to Ms. Shetty goes without saying.

Among the women candidates aspiring for an election ticket are Mamatha Gatty and Shalet Pinto. But since senior leader Oscar Fernandes is also believed to be in favour of giving Shakunthala Shetty the opportunity, the other women candidates are more likely to miss out.

On the other hand, former MLA Vijay Kumar Shetty has fielded a new candidate from the Surathkal block for the coming Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) elections. Local Congressmen are said to be expecting Mr. Shetty to follow a similar strategy of giving newcomers a chance in the Assembly polls too. For this 'newcomer' slot, Bunts in Congress are favouring Kripa Amar Alva's candidature.

However, there is no guarantee that Surathkal constituency will see Bunt representation from the Congress. If Shakunthala Shetty is given ticket from Puttur, the party will see it as a key move to put to rest the Bunt and women representation dispute, in which case, the Muslims in Congress will have a strong case to demand representation from the Surathkal constituency. Names of Moideen Bava and G A Bava are already in the equation. Badruddin and Altaf Mukka are no less interested either.

While Bunts and Muslims in the Congress have an eye on Surathkal, Congressman Prasad Kanchan from Udupi is said to be spreading the word of he contesting Assembly polls from Surathkal constituency, among his Mogaveera community brethren.