Only 13 out of 127 candidates in coastal districts are women

MANGALURU: While the coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi have received 197 nominations from 127 candidates for the elections to the 13 assembly constituencies, the list has only 13 women.

As many as 82 candidates have filed 109 sets of nomination papers in eight constituencies of DK district while 45 candidates have filed 88 nominations for the five constituencies in Udupi district. However, out of the 127 candidates, only 13 are women. JD(S) has given tickets to four women candidates while the BJP and AAP have given two seats each to women candidates, in the two districts.

Sabina Samad from JD(S) (Kaup), Deena Prabhakar Salian from AAP (Udupi), independent candidates Dr Mamatha Hegde and Vidyalaxmi (both from Karkala) are the women candidates in Udupi district. In Dakshina Kannada district, the BJP has two women candidates, including Asha Thimmappa Gowda, who is contesting from Puttur and Bhagirathi Murulya for Sullia constituency. The other women candidates in DK are Amarshree Amarnath Shetty of JD(S) (Moodbidri), Yashoda of KRS (Mangaluru City North), Sumathi S Hegde of JD(S), Winny Pinto from KRS (Mangaluru City South), Divyaprabha of JD(S) (Puttur) and KK Sumana Bellarkar of AAP(Sullia).

Out of the 13 constituencies, there are no women candidates in Kundapur, Byndoor, Belthangady, Mangaluru and Bantwal constituencies. In Dakshina Kannada district, former MLA Shakunthala T Shetty, KPCC general secretary Mamatha Gatti, district mahila Congress president Shalet Pinto, former mayor Kavitha Sanil, leaders Appi, Prathibha Kulai, Kripa Amar Alva and Divya Prabha were ticket aspirants. However, the Congress failed to allocate ticket to any woman in the undivided Dakshina Kannada district.

When contacted, District Congress Committee president K Harish Kumar told TOI that the KPCC has considered Karnataka as a single unit while considering women candidates. “Women have been given prominence in the Congress list. In Dakshina Kannada, women aspirants have welcomed the party decision and have been campaigning for the candidates,” he added.

Meanwhile, BJP district president Sudarshan Moodbidri said that the party has given prominence to women by giving tickets to women candidates in two out of eight seats in Dakshina Kannada.


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