The Times of India                  12.03.2013 

Congress sweeps ULBs in DK, Udupi

It was a near total rout of the BJP in Dakshina Kannada that saw it
retain only Sullia town panchayat while conceding the Mangalore City
Corporation, Puttur, Moodbidri, Bantwal and Ullal town municipal
councils, and Belthangady town panchayat to the Congress. In Udupi, the
BJP conceded the Udupi CMC to Congress, while winning in Kundapur TMC
and Saligrama TP. Congress won Karkala TMC by a wafer thin margin of one
seat.

In Dakshina Kannada, Congress won 108 out of 189 ULB
seats on offer in seven civic bodies as against 63 that BJP won. JD(S)
won six seats, including two in MCC, CPM 2 including one in MCC, while
the independents won in 4 and others six seats. Interestingly, the
Socialist Democratic Party of India (SDPI) contesting polls for the
first time opened its account in MCC at the expense of Gulzaar Banu,
Mayor from Congress in Katipalla North ward.

In Udupi, Congress
won 49 out of 95 wards, while BJP won in 43 wards. The CPM won in two
wards and Harish Ram, an independent was successful in making his entry
to the CMC there. In the prestigious contest that mattered, BJP won in
35 out of 60 wards on offer in MCC, relegating BJP to 20 seats. As far
as Udupi CMC in concerned, Congress ensured BJPs worse ever performance
there winning 22 out of 35 wards, restricting BJP to 11 wards.

Congress win in MCC was soured by the fact that K Ashraf, former Mayor and president of Mangalore City Corporation
announced his resignation to the post notwithstanding the fact that
Congress won in 13 out of 20 wards in the block. Loss in party’s pocket
borough wards of 43-Kudroli and 44-Bunder ward that Ashraf represented
in the last council was the last straw for Ashraf to handle, who
promptly announced his decision to step down.