Mangalore Constituency: Land of Rani Abbakka gears up for ballot battle

[email protected] (CD Network)
April 14, 2013
Mangalore Assembly Constituency is a fascinating constituency by all means. If one goes through the pages of history, it is overwhelming to know that the valiant episodes of life of Rani Abbakka who struggled and laid her life to protect the honour of this land against the Portuguese invasion were written here.

ullal
This constituency was referred to as 'Mangalore 2' when election procedures began in Karnataka decades ago. For the first four elections, this constituency was referred to by the same name. In 1978 it was named as Ullal and in 2008 it was named Mangalore.

During the demarcation of constituencies in 2008, this one gained some regions and lost some along with its name Ullal constituency. Christened as Mangalore constituency, it has emerged as a bigger constituency than its past form.

The newly formed Mangalore constituency lost some parts to Mangalore South because those places were urban regions. Today the Mangalore constituency has parts of Mangalore taluk, Mangalore B division, Ullal Town Panchayat, parts of Pane Mangalur, Meramajal, Kodman, Sajipanadu, Cheloor, Kurnad, Fajir, Kairangala, Naringana, Balepuni, Ira villages, Padu, Thumbe and parts of Vittal Assembly Constituency, which lost its existence during the demarcation.

History

The constituency has historic significance. During the British rule, the region came under Madras Presidency. During 1956, the region was included in the then Mysore State. It was considered as a constituency for the first time in the 1957 elections and in the first elections itself the Congress wrote victory here with GajananaRaoPandit defeating his opponent B V Kakkilaya of CPI. While Mr Pandit had bagged 20,332 votes, his opponent bagged 14,526 votes. This came as a huge landmark considering the fact that the number of voters then was 34,858.

The region was then won over by the Communist in 1962 with party's Krishna Shetty with 17,725 votes in hand defeated Congress candidate B M Idinabba. Though in 1967 the two came face to face with each other in the assembly polls, this time Idinabba trounced Mr Shetty with a romping 21,365 votes.

In 1972 assembly polls, U T Fareed of Congress won 30,048 votes defeating CPI candidate MrShetty. Bharathiya Jana Sangha candidate K Narayan Shetty had tasted defeat with meagre 6,227 votes.

In 1978 U T Fareed won again defeating CPI candidate P RamachandraRao with a margin of 17,729 votes. In 1983, CPI candidate MrRao won against MohommadMasood of the Congress.

In 1994, the BJP saw a surprising victory in this constituency with K JayaramShetty defeating MohommadMasood of the Congress and K R Shriyan of CPM.

Bypolls

In the 1999 bypolls, U T Fareed of the Congress trounced K JayaramShetty. Fareed repeated victory in 2004 as well by defeating ChandrashekarUchil of the BJP. Fareed had by this time grown immensely popular in the constituency. Unfortunately, in 2007, Fareed's death brought in a void. However, his son U T Khader worked as a defacto MLA and soon he carried forward his father's legacy. He won 46,271 votes as against 38,239 votes of ChandrashekarUchil.

In 2008, Ullal constituency became Mangalore constituency and in the elections held in 2008, Khader bagged a romping 50,718 votes against BJP's K PadmanabhaKottary.

Highlights

The most fascinating aspect of this constituency is that it happens to be the only constituency which has seen father and son as MLAs. While U T Fareed won in the constituency during 1972, 1978, 1999 and 2004. His son U T Khader won in this constituency in 2007 and 2008. This election will see MrKhader try his luck in the constituency again. In 2008 elections he won with a margin of 7,049 elections. Then the total number of voters was 1,41,838.

Four parties

The constituency has seen 13 elections so far and four parties have ruled this constituency. While the Congress won ten times, CPI, CPI (M) and BJP have won once each.

No cabinet berth yet

One disappointing fact is that Ullal-Mangalore constituency has not had cabinet representation so far. Even when one candidate won several times from this constituency, his party ruling at the State did not give a cabinet seat.

Voters' detail

This election will see 22,467 additional voters when compared to last election.

Total voters here are 1,64,305 (1,41,838 in 2008), out of which 81,069 are men (69305 in 2008) and 83,236 are women (72,533 in 2008).

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News Network
December 19,2025

Mangaluru: In a decisive move to tackle the city’s deteriorating sanitation infrastructure, the Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) has announced a massive ₹1,200 crore action plan to overhaul its underground drainage (UGD) network.

The initiative, spearheaded by Deputy Commissioner and MCC Administrator Darshan HV, aims to bridge "missing links" in the current system that have left residents grappling with overflowing sewage and environmental hazards.

The Breaking Point

The announcement follows a high-intensity phone-in session on Thursday, where the DC was flooded with grievances from frustrated citizens. Residents, including Savithri from Yekkur, described a harrowing reality: raw sewage from apartments leaking into stormwater drains, creating a "permanent stink" and turning residential zones into mosquito breeding grounds.

"We are facing immense difficulties due to the stench and the health risks. Local officials have remained silent until now," one resident reported during the session.

The Strategy: A Six-Year Vision

DC Darshan HV confirmed that the proposed plan is not a temporary patch but a comprehensive six-year roadmap designed to accommodate Mangaluru’s projected population growth. Key highlights of the plan include:

•    Infrastructure Expansion: Laying additional pipelines to connect older neighborhoods to the main grid.

•    STP Crackdown: Stricter enforcement of Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) regulations. While new apartments are required to have functional STPs, many older buildings lack them entirely, and several newer units are reportedly non-functional.

•    Budgetary Push: The plan has already been discussed with the district in-charge minister and the Secretary of the Urban Development Department. It is slated for formal presentation in the upcoming state budget.

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News Network
December 7,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 7: A 34-year-old fruit and vegetable trader in Mangaluru has reportedly lost ₹33.1 lakh after falling victim to an online investment scam run through a fake mobile app.

Police said the scam began in September, when the victim received a link on Facebook. Clicking it connected him to a WhatsApp number, where an unidentified person introduced a high-return investment scheme and instructed him to download an app.

To build trust, the fraudster asked him to invest ₹30,000 on September 24. The trader soon received ₹34,000 as “profit,” convincing him the scheme was genuine. Over the next two months, he transferred money in multiple instalments via Google Pay and IMPS to different scanner codes and bank accounts shared by the scammers. Between September 24 and December 3, he ended up sending a total of ₹33.1 lakh.

When he later requested a refund of his investment and promised returns, the scammers demanded additional payments, claiming he needed to pay a “service tax” first. Even after he paid a small amount, no money was returned, and the scammers continued pressuring him for more.

A case has been registered at the CEN Crime Police Station.

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News Network
December 16,2025

Mangaluru, Dec 16: The Mangaluru City police have significantly escalated their campaign against drug trafficking, arresting 25 individuals and booking 12 cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act between November 30 and December 13. The crackdown resulted in the seizure of a substantial quantity of illicit substances, including 685.6 grams of MDMA and 1.5 kg of ganja.

The success of this recent drive has been significantly boosted by the city’s innovative, QR code-based anonymous reporting system.

"The anonymous reporting system has received an encouraging response. Several recent arrests were made based on inputs received through this system, helping police tighten the noose around drug peddlers," said the City Police Commissioner.

The latest arrests contribute to a robust year-to-date record, underscoring the police's relentless commitment to combating the drug menace.

Up to December 14 this year, the police have registered a total of 107 cases of drug peddling, leading to the arrest of 219 peddlers. Furthermore, they have booked 562 cases of drug consumption, resulting in the arrest of 671 individuals.

The scale of the seizure for the year reflects the magnitude of the problem being tackled: police have seized 320.6 kg of ganja worth ₹88.7 lakh and 1.4 kg of MDMA valued at ₹1.2 crore. Other significant seizures include hydro-weed ganja worth ₹94.7 lakh and cocaine worth ₹1.9 lakh, among others.

The Commissioner emphasized a policy of rigorous enforcement: "We ensure that peddlers are caught red-handed so that they cannot later dispute the case or claim innocence."

To counter the rising trend of substance abuse among youth, the Mangaluru City police have rolled out uniform guidelines for random drug testing across educational institutions.

As part of the drive, tests were conducted in approximately 100 institutions, screening an estimated 5,500 to 6,000 students in the first phase. 20 students tested positive for drug consumption during the initial screening.

Students who tested positive have been provided counselling and are scheduled for re-testing in the second quarter. The testing will also be expanded to students not covered in the first phase. In a move to ensure strict implementation, police personnel were deployed in mufti in some institutions. Reiterating a zero-tolerance stance, the Commissioner confirmed that random testing will continue, and colleges have also been instructed to conduct drug tests at the time of admission to deter substance abuse from an early stage.

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