Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje/Spoorthi Ullal
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, May 23: BJP candidate for Dakshina Kannada Nalin Kumar Kateel seemed all set to win for a third time as he registered a lead of nearly two lac votes over Congress candidate Mithun Rai.

By 12.30 pm, Nalin Kumar Kateel secured 7,72,754 votes while Mithun Rai garnered close to 4,49,387 votes votes. SDPI's Mohammed Eliyas is in the third position with nearly 46,000 votes.

Mithun Rai was leading initially when postal votes were being counted, but Nalin Kumar soon overtook, racing ahead of his political rival and consistently holding the margin.

As many as 13 candidates were in the fray. There were 17,24,358 voters in which 8,45,308 were male, 8,79,050 are female and 102 were others.

During the elections, the district recorded 77.9% with 13,433,78 voters voted in the district.

As results came trickling in, BJP supporters gathered and began celebrating. The final results are yet to be announced.

Speaking to reporters, a jubilant Nalin said, "The people have appreciated and acknowledged the efficient administration and development initiatives undertaken by the BJP and NDA government in general, and also approved the measures taken to protect the country. All these have converted into votes and decimated the opposition."

Congress has yet again failed to beat BJP in Dakshina Kannada which recorded its 8th straight victory since 1991, continuing its winning streak for 29 years. Nalin Kumar Kateel emerged MP for the third time, earlier winning in the year 2009 and 2014.

Congress had last tasted victory in Lok Sabha elections in the year 1989 when B Janardhana Poojary won with a margin of 91,097 against V Dananjaya Kumar. Since then, it is BJP who has emerged victorious. Leaders V Dananjaya Kumar (1991, 1996, 1998, 1999), D V Sadananda Gowda (2004) and Nalin Kumar Kateel (2009, 2014 and 2019) have been given majority of the votes by voters.

Congress' upper-hand till 1989

Since the first election in 1951 in South Canara constituency, Congress dominated the elections till 1989. For the first time, BJP fielded its candidate in the year 1984 with K Rama Bhat against B Janardhana Poojary who defeated the BJP candidate with a heavy margin of 1,19,399 at the then Mangaluru constituency.

In the year 1989, BJP fielded V Dananjaya Kumar against B Janardhana Poojary, but yet again, BJP had to face defeat by a margin of 91,097.

BJP's juggernaut from 1991

BJP after facing heavy defeats against Congress leader B Janardhana Poojary in the year 1984 and 1989, decided yet again to field V Dhananjaya Kumar in the year 1991 which turned out to be a turning point for BJP to start its winning streak in Lok Sabha elections.

In 1991, V Dhananjaya Kumar defeated Congress winning candidate B Janardhana Poojary with a margin of 35,005 votes. V Dhananjaya Kumar continued his winning streak against B Janardhana Poojary in the year 1996 and 1998.

Once B Janardhana Poojary began to face back-to-back defeat at the hands of BJP's V Dhananjaya Kumar, Congress sidelined B Janardhana Poojary and fielded M Veerappa Moily from the constituency. The change in candidate did not work for Congress as M Veerappa Moily was defeated in a closely-fought contest with a margin of 8,469 votes in the year 1999.

In 2004, the fate of Congress did not change as Veerappa Moily faced defeat against D V Sadananda Gowda. Change in candidate for Congress did not work again as they preferred to go with B Janardhana Poojary against BJP's new face Nalin Kumar Kateel in the year 2009. Nalin Kumar Kateel took on B Janardhana Poojary in the year 2009 and 2014 with a winning margin of 40,420 votes and 1,43,704 votes respectively.

Nalin Kumar Kateel since 2009

In the year 2009, Nalin Kumar Kateel, a new face from BJP, who had worked as a party representative, was given a chance to contest the 2009 general elections. While Congress with a hope of defeating BJP's new face Nalin Kumar Kateel, fielded it’s four-time winning candidate B Janardhana Poojary.

Nalin Kumar Kateel emerged victorious against Janardhana Poojary with a margin of 40,420 votes. Again in 2014, B Janardhana Poojary had to face heavy defeat with a margin of 1,43,704 votes.

In the year 2019, Congress fielded a new face and youngster Mithun Rai with a hope of defeating two-time MP Nalin Kumar Kateel. It was not possible even for Mithun Rai to stop Nalin Kumar Kateel from being the MP for the third time.