Mangaluru, (The Hindu):It is the only reserved segment among eight Assembly constituencies in Dakshina Kannada

Nestled at the foothills of the Western Ghats, Sullia is the only reserved constituency among eight Assembly constituencies in Dakshina Kannada.

The sitting MLA for five consecutive terms, Angara S. of the BJP, is all set to contest for the sixth time now.

Sullia became an independent constituency from the 1962 Assembly elections. Then it was reserved for a candidate of the Scheduled Tribes. It was reserved for a candidate of the Scheduled Castes from 1967 onwards. Since then it has remained so though, off late, demands have been made for dereservation.

The constituency is dominated by farming activities with no major industries. The vast paddy fields in the constituency decades ago have now been converted as arecanut plantations.

Rubber plantations have come up on the once grazing lands and cashew orchards. Yellow leaf disease has wiped out many arecanut plantations in Aranthodu, Sampaje, Todikana and Markanja villages. The disease has hit plantations in Madappady, Aletti, Ubaradkka-Mittur, Harihara-Pallathadka and Kollamogaru villages. It has forced some affected farmers to switch over to oil palm cultivation.

Having a total of 75 villages and the Sullia town panchayat, the profile of the constituency is entirely rural in nature.

Among the villages, 35 are from three zilla panchayat constituencies of Belandur, Kadaba and Nelyadi which are under Puttur taluk. The remaining villages are in Sullia taluk.

Earlier, announcements had been made to carve out Kadaba, from this constituency, as a separate taluk. While presenting the State Budget for 2013-14, the then Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar had made the same announcement.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, while presenting the 2017-18 State Budget, repeated the creation of the same taluk. But they are yet to become a reality.

In the past 12 elections, since the constituency came into being, the BJP has won in Sullia six times, the Congress four and the then Swatantra Party and Janata Party once each. The BJP’s first MLA, Bakila Hukrappa, who in later elections switched over to other parties, died sometime ago. K. Kushala of the Congress, who won twice, quit the party in 2004 and hopped to the Janata Dal (Secular) to contest on its ticket after the Congress denied him the ticket and fielded B. Raghu, a doctor, instead. Mr. Angara who contested for the first time on the BJP ticket in 1989, against Mr. Kushala, did not win. But Mr. Angara defeated the Congress candidate, Mr. Kushala, later in 1994 and in 1999.

Mr. Angara has beaten the Congress candidate, Mr. Raghu, in the past three elections. It has been witnessing a direct fight between the BJP and the Congress.