Karnataka - Udupi   

Differences surface between BJP, Janata Dal (U) in Byndoor

By Our Staff Correspondent

UDUPI, APRIL 8. With the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) giving the `B' form to the former President of the party's district unit, K. Lakshminarayana, to contest from the Byndoor Assembly Constituency, its alliance with the Janata Dal (United) has been strained in the district.

As per the internal arrangement reached between the two parties, the Byndoor Assembly Constituency was allotted to the Janata Dal (U). Accordingly, the Janata Dal (U) gave its ticket to its General Secretary, I.M. Jayaram Shetty, who has filed his nomination papers for the seat. The Union Defence Minister and Janata Dal (U) leader, George Fernandes, and the President of the State unit of the Janata Dal (U), B. Somashekhar, even addressed a party workers convention at Byndoor on April 3.

Before the agreement, Mr. Shetty had announced that he would contest the election as the NDA candidate from the Udupi Lok Sabha Constituency. Mr. Shetty won from the constituency in 1998 as the BJP candidate. But he left that party alleging that he was being sidelined, and joined the Samata Party as the President of its State unit. But after the Samata Party and the Janata Dal (U) merged, Mr. Shetty was made the General Secretary of the Janata Dal (U).

He was asked to contest from the Byndoor Assembly seat as the Janata Dal (U) candidate as per the understanding reached between the party and the BJP, and Mr. Shetty began campaigning. In the meantime, BJP announced Lakshminarayana as its candidate, and he also began his campaign.

The Vice-President of the BJP State unit, A.G. Kodgi, told The Hindu on Thursday that conditions were favourable to BJP and its candidate, K. Lakshminarayana, in the Byndoor Assembly Constituency.

Efforts were on to ask Mr. Jayaram Shetty to withdraw from the race.

When contacted, Mr. Jayaram Shetty said there was no question of his opting out of the race as he had been allotted the seat after talks at the highest levels.

The people of Byndoor were intelligent enough to make their decision, and he would win by a good margin, he said.

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