Independent candidates lose by huge margin

Team Udayavani, May 16, 2018, 12:32 PM IST

Mangaluru: Several independent candidates who banked on people to vote for them based on their goodwill and development plans failed miserably.

Former deputy superintendent of police, Anupama Shenoy, Uchila in Kaup constituency, resigned from her job to fight against injustice and started her own Bharatiya Janashakti Congress Party. She ended up getting a mere 1,634 votes. Her party was allotted the symbol of okra. Her campaign comprised house to house visits which she carried out by travelling in an auto rickshaw.

M C Madan opted for voluntary retirement from service as a sub-inspector in Bajpe police station and fought as independent candidate from the city (south) constituency. He left his job hoping to make it big in the election. However, he managed to secure only 708 votes.

Frustrated at his expulsion from the BJP, Srikar Prabhu decided to contest as an independent candidate from city (south) constituency. He seemed confident after he attracted a huge crowd at his political rally, but he only got 861 votes in the election.

Several organizations told people to express dissent to Yettinahole project by opting the NOTA (none of the above) option. However it seems like people have not taken this seriously. The only constituency where NOTA got considerable response was in Sullia where 1310 votes were NOTA.