Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, May 25: Pramod Madhwaraj had been unexpectedly chosen as a JD(S) candidate for Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency at the last minute. He was a member of Congress party and hence had to cross over to JD(S) before filing his nomination papers. His selection had given rise to lot of expectations, surprise, confusion, criticism and anger. He has faced a drubbing at the hustings and now there is curiosity among the Congress and JD(S) activists and also the general public about his next move.

Congress leaders have been expressing the opinion that their own candidate, if fielded in place of the one from the JD(S), would have at least mustered votes which would have been closer to what Shobha got. There is a general feeling that Congress will not dump Pramod Madhwaraj. At the same time, there is also a feeling that he may stay put in the JD(S) if he gets a post of high responsibility. He might also choose to stay in the Congress and continue to have good rapport with both chief minister, Kumaraswamy, and JD(S) national president, H D Deve Gowda. There are chances of others opposing his re-induction into the Congress.

Shobha Karandlaje and Pramod Madhwaraj

Pramod, in spite of having been elected for the first time as MLA in 2013, had been rewarded with a ministry in Siddaramaiah's cabinet. He is a strongman of the Congress but during the last year's assembly election, there were rumours of him joining the BJP and certain statements made him also had fuelled this speculation. He fought as a Congress candidate and was defeated with a margin of 12,000 votes. In the Lok Sabha election, the margin of defeat was 47,000 within the Udupi assembly constituency segment. It is difficult to assess at this point whether his stature in the Congress was different or he lost his charisma in the bargain.

Pramod has now been a leader of both the parties. When he was floored in last year's election, he had said that in spite of doing lot of development works, he was defeated because of Modi wave. This time around, he said that the BJP wave had drowned him. JD(S) leaders had indicated before the result that they are ready to give him a position of high responsibility. But that party's condition in Karnataka is unenviable now.

Congress leaders continue to fume against the party leadership for having allotted Udupi-Chikkamagaluru Lok Sabha constituency to the JD(S). AICC member, Amrith Shenoy, had revolted against the party and entered the election fray as an independent candidate. Many feel that those who are staunch Congress fans might have dithered from supporting the JD(S).