Mangaluru, (The Hindu): The ruling Congress appears to be in the forefront in consolidating its voter base in Dakshina Kannada ahead of the Assembly Polls even as it informally launched the campaign at Bantwal on Sunday.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which boasts of its organisational skills and structure, on the other hand, appears to be in slumber despite losing three out of four Assembly constituencies during the 2013 elections. While both had won four seats in 2008, Congress swept the district except Sullia in 2013. The Congress’ resolve to bag all the eight Assembly constituencies in the 2018 polls was evident at Bantwal on Sunday with the entire government, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, showering praises on District in-charge Minister and six-time MLA from Bantwal B. Ramanath Rai.

Energy Minister D.K. Shivakumar said Congress candidate B. Raghu, who lost to BJP’s S. Angara just by 373 votes in 2013 at Sullia, is poised to win this time. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was eloquent in saying Dakshina Kannada would elect all Congress candidates this time.

Under attack for the recent communal disturbances and murders in Bantwal taluk, Mr. Rai is making all-out efforts to retain the seat. Instead of mere promises, this time he has brought in several development projects to the constituency.

At the same time, MLAs of Mangaluru, J.R. Lobo (South), B. Mohiuddin Bava (North) and U.T. Khader (Mangaluru) are busy in executing various development projects.

Belthangady MLA K. Vasantha Bangere and Puttur MLA Shakuntala Shetty are not lagging behind even as Ms. Shetty has proposed to offer free Wi-Fi to residents of Puttur and Vitla.

The only confusion about the would-be candidate is at Moodbidri where incumbent K. Abhayachandra Jain has declined to contest and is reportedly backing District Youth Congress president Mithun Rai. Government Chief Whip in Legislative Council Ivan D’Souza, a confidant of Mr. Siddaramaiah, is also intensely lobbying for the ticket. The Congress appears to have successfully grabbed BJP’s trump card of door-to-door contact of voters through its Mane Manege Congress initiative launched last month. While Mr. Rai is leading the Congress front, the absence of a strong leader is clearly evident on BJP front even as Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel appears to be making a bid but in vein.

The party is unable to launch a strong movement to grab the anti-incumbency factor, if any, and has also failed portray winnable candidates.

The Union government’s various schemes, which are yet to bear fruits, might not help BJP. On the contrary, never-ending construction of flyovers at Pumpwell (Bhagwan Mahaveer) and Thokkottu Junctions on National Highway 66 thwart its claim on initiating developmental projects.