Elections in Coastal Karnataka

Coastal Karnataka region is a 300 km long belt of coastline where Arabian Sea lies on its west. And the Western Ghats surround it from the eastern side. The total population of this region is 47.03 lakh, as per the 2011 census. This region includes the three districts. Each of the district follows a distinct political pattern. Dakshina Kannada district is inclined towards BJP, Udupi has a preference for Congress party in most of its constituencies. Janata Dal Secular has very limited effect in this region. However, this region is dominantly prefers Bharatiya Janata Party.

Coastal Karnataka

Overview

Coastal Karnataka comprises of present day Dakshina Kannada, Udupi Kannada, and Uttara Kannada regions of Karnataka. The hardline right-wing politics has been the norm for the region since 1990s. BJP made significant inroads in the Coastal Karnataka with the help of Sangh Parivar and other right-wing fringe groups. The region was part of the Mysore Kingdom before ceding to the British India.

Historical Background

After Peshwa Territories annexation, the Uttara Kannada was part of Kanara region, which became a part of the Madras Presidency till 1862, before being transferred to Bombay Presidency, while South Kanara (Dakshina Kannada region) remained a part Madras Presidency. In 1956, the region along with four other regions of the erstwhile British India formed the state of Mysore, that was renamed to Karnataka in 1973. Coastal Karnataka has been an epicenter for trade and market even before India's independence. The coastal region of present-day Karnataka state has seen various merchants and traders travel across from the globe to get hold of some of the best spices during the medieval period. The accessibility to the coastal region made it a cultural hub for centuries, the region reflects the multiculturalism that formed the basis of prosperity in the region. Till date, agriculture and fishing remains to be the economic lifeline of the region for the population of Coastal Karnataka. Mogaveera, Billawa, Kharvi, Kotesherigara, Bunta, Siddi, Halakkigouda, Vakkaliga, and Devadiga, are some of the major backward communities in the region that constitute the majority in the region. While minority Christians, Muslims, upper caste, scheduled castes and scheduled tribes form the remaining social strata of the Coastal Karnataka region. Syndicate Bank, Canara Bank, Corporation Bank and Vijaya Bank are four public sector commercial banks that have originated as a part of development of co-operative finance system in Coastal Karnataka. While one of the popular and growing scheduled bank, Karnataka Bank also originated from the region.

Assembly Constituencies and MLAs from Cenrtral Karnataka Region

AC. No.	Constituency	Current MLA	Party
76	Haliyal	Deshpande Raghunath Vishwanathrao	INC
77	Karwar	Sateesh Sail Krishna	IND
78	Kumta	Sharada Mohana Shetty	INC
79	Bhatkal	Mankala Subba Vaidya	IND
80	Sirsi	Visweswara Heggade Kageri	BJP
81	Yellapur	Arbail Shivaram Hebbar	INC
118	Byndoor	K. Gopal Poojary	INC
119	Kundapura	Vacant
120	Udupi	Pramod Madhwaraj	INC
121	Kapu	Vinayakumar Sorake	INC
122	Karkal	V. Sunil Kumar	BJP
200	Belthangady	K. Vasantha Bangera	INC
201	Moodabidri	K. Abhayachandra	INC
202	Mangalore City North	B. A. Mohiuddin Bava	INC
203	Mangalore City South	J. R. Lobo	INC
204	Mangalore	U. T. Khadar	INC
205	Bantval	B. Ramanath Rai	INC
206	Puttur	Shakuntala T. Shetty	INC
207	Sullia	S. Angara	BJP
208	Madikeri	M. P. Appachu Ranjan	BJP
209	Virajpet	K. G. Bopaiah	BJP

Last Updated on: Jan 16, 2023