Congress candidate list with its caste matrix so far is a winner!

Mangaluru/Udupi: It is evident from the two lists of candidates the Congress party released that the leadership of the party did not want to alter the caste dynamics in the coastal region of the State. The ticket distribution by the party had been at the micro level taking underlying caste equations revolving around Billavas and their other variants like Namdhari Eedigas (Uttara Kannada) Eedigas in the Malnad areas, Bunts, Muslims and Christians. It is a matter of intrigue to see how the oldest party in India will pitch the micro OBCs vis-a-vis other castes in the lists that are going to follow in a couple of days.

The list had been carefully crafted going by the party's core philosophy -secularism. The Coast of Karnataka has been designed to defeat the polarisation effects on the region that is known to be the 'laboratory of Hindutva'

The caste matrix formed by the Congress think tank has fielded Billavas in three constituencies in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi so far -at Belthangady (Rakshith Shivaram), Kaup (Vinay Kumar Sorake) and Byndoor (Gopal Poojary) and perhaps one or two more seats are on the anvil for the Billavas, Namdhari and Edigas on the coast and Malnad region. The second list had the names of Panchamasali Lingayat in Yellapur (VS Patil) Mogaveera (Prasad Raj Kanchan) in Udupi and Christian in Kumta (Nivedith Alva). However, the third list is eagerly awaited as the most contentious Assembly constituencies like Puttur, Mangaluru South and Mangaluru South, Bhatkal and Karkala.