Belthangadi: With BJP taking a decision to field party’s District Yuva Morcha President Harish Poonja against old war horse Vasanth Bangera of Congress, battle lines are clearly drawn for the contest in Dakshina Kannada’s largest assembly constituency.
Belthangadi Constituency has gained prominence in the electoral history since 1952 as it was represented by Ratnakar Hegde for the first term between 1952-57.Subsequently Congressmen Vaikunata Baliga and Subramanya Gowda won from here and it remained a Congress stronghold till 1978.
However, in 1983 the incumebent MLA Vasanth Bangera created history by winning from here on a BJP ticket and remained one among two BJP legislators in the state assembly during Ramakrishna Hegde’s regime, (other being B S Yeddyurappa) after he won in 1985.
Despite Vasanth Bangera switching sides to Janata Dal, voters reposed faith in him and elected him in 1994 before he lost to his own sibling Prabhakar Bangera in 1999, who managed to retain his seat again in 2004. After quitting JDS in 2008, Vasanth Bangera jumped into the Congress bandwagon ahead of the assembly polls to register victory that year and again won in 2013.
This time, five-time MLA is pitted against 33-year-old advocate Harish Poonja of BJP.
Poonja, a native of Gardady village joined Akhila Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishat (ABVP-student wing of BJP) and played a critical role in spearheading the youth organisation. Known for his organising ability, BJP made him the president of BJP’s District Yuva Morcha (youth wing) Poonja is understood to have worked for the renovation of several temples in the district and known for his involvement in religious activities.
Having taken part in several protests on key issues, Poonja entered the electoral battle ground after his short stint as an High Court advocate.
With sizebale youth electorate (estimated at around 50%), it remains to be seen whether youth exuberance will mar old war horse Bangera’s chances this time. Bangera, despite being a party-hopper, wields considerable influence among his voters with a relatively good record. In simple terms, a tough nut to crack!
