Mangaluru (The Hindu): The sitting MLC of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Kota Srinivasa Poojary will file his nomination for the December 27 Legislative Council election from Dakshina Kannada and Udupi Local Authorities’ Constituency here on December 7.

He will file his papers at the office of the Deputy Commissioner here at 11 a.m., according to Nalin Kumar Kateel, MP.

Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, he said that the party will field only one candidate though two candidates would have to be elected from the constituency. Mr. Poojary was the unanimous decision of the party, he said.

The party was fielding Mr. Poojary for the third term. Mr. Poojary was first elected as an MLC from the same constituency following the death of the then incumbent MLC and Congress leader Blasius D’Souza in 2008. He held the post for one year eight months. In 2010, he was re-elected unopposed along with Congress candidate Pratapchandra Shetty from the same constituency.

Mr. Kateel said that he would launch his campaign from Monday after filing the papers. The former Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa will campaign for him in the constituency on December 20.

The MP said that of 6,153 voters in the constituency, of them 3,466 voters being in Dakshina Kannada alone, the BJP enjoyed the support of 3,500 voters.

Mr. Kateel said that the Congress was facing trouble in fielding its candidate from the constituency as rebels have threatened to contest the election. The Congress was finding it difficult to fight against the BJP, he claimed.

Shoba Karandlaje, MP, Udupi-Chikmagalur constituency and Pratap Simha Nayak, president, Dakshina Kannada unit of the party, K. Monappa Bhandary, former MLC, were present.

Photo credit: The Hindu