Bhatkal Assembly constituency
| Bhatkal | |
|---|---|
| Constituency No. 79 for the Karnataka Legislative Assembly | |
| Constituency details | |
| Country | India |
| Region | South India |
| State | Karnataka |
| District | Uttara Kannada |
| Lok Sabha constituency | Uttara Kannada |
| Established | 1966 |
| Total electors | 222,794[1] |
| Reservation | None |
| Member of Legislative Assembly | |
| 16th Karnataka Legislative Assembly | |
| Incumbent | |
| Party | Indian National Congress |
| Elected year | 2023 |
| Preceded by | Sunil Biliya Naik |
Bhatkal Assembly constituency is one of the 224 Legislative Assembly constituencies of Karnataka in India.[2] It is part of Uttara Kannada district.
The constituency is infamous for Communal tensions due to notable presence of Hindutva groups and Islamic fundamentalism.[3][4]
In April 10, 1996 a sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly from this constituency was assassinated by gunfire.[5][6]
Electorate
The constituency has around 2.15 lakhs votes. Nearly 1.6 lakh voters i.e. more than 70% of vote base are Hindus, followed by Muslims at nearly 55,000 who are 25.4% and Christians at 7300 forming 3.4% of the electorate. Among Hindu vote base the single major group is Namdharis constituting about 70,000 votes.[7] The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes forms 10.1% of the electorate with nearly 22,000 votes.
Members of the Legislative Assembly
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | J. M. Manjanath | Praja Socialist Party | |
| 1972 | S. M. Yahya Siddika Umar | Indian National Congress | |
| 1978 | Siddiq Mohamed Yahya Bin Umer | Indian National Congress | |
| 1983 | Rama Narayan Naik | Janata Party | |
| 1985 | |||
| 1989 | Indian National Congress | ||
| 1994 | Dr. U. Chittaranjan | Bharatiya Janata Party | |
| 1996 By-election | Shivanand Naik | ||
| 1999 | J. D. Naik | Indian National Congress | |
| 2004 | Shivanand Naik | Bharatiya Janata Party | |
| 2008 | J. D. Naik | Indian National Congress | |
| 2013 | Mankala Vaidya | Independent politician | |
| 2018 | Sunil Biliya Naik | Bharatiya Janata Party | |
| 2023 | Mankala Vaidya | Indian National Congress | |
Election results
Assembly Election 2023
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | Mankala Vaidya | 100,442 | 57.45% | 10.89 | |
| BJP | Sunil Biliya Naik | 67,771 | 38.76% | 11.38 | |
| JD(S) | Nagendra Naik | 1,502 | 0.86% | New | |
| NOTA | None of the above | 1,223 | 0.70% | 0.50 | |
| Margin of victory | 32,671 | 18.69% | 15.12 | ||
| Turnout | 175,090 | 78.59% | 1.24 | ||
| Total valid votes | 174,848 | ||||
| Registered electors | 222,794 | 3.75 | |||
| INC gain from BJP | Swing | 7.31 | |||
Assembly Election 2018
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJP | Sunil Biliya Naik | 83,172 | 50.14% | 38.87 | |
| INC | Mankal Vaidya | 77,242 | 46.56% | 29.97 | |
| NOTA | None of the above | 1,986 | 1.20% | New | |
| AIMEP | Gafoor Sab | 1,446 | 0.87% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 5,930 | 3.57% | 3.96 | ||
| Turnout | 166,100 | 77.35% | 6.38 | ||
| Total valid votes | 165,886 | ||||
| Registered electors | 214,750 | 13.23 | |||
| BJP gain from Independent | Swing | 21.69 | |||
Assembly Election 2013
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent | Mankala Vaidya | 37,319 | 28.45% | New | |
| JD(S) | Enayathullah Shabandri | 27,435 | 20.91% | 17.07 | |
| KJP | Shivanand Naik | 26,657 | 20.32% | New | |
| INC | J. D. Naik | 21,766 | 16.59% | 28.13 | |
| BJP | Govinda Jattappa Naik | 14,791 | 11.27% | 22.37 | |
| Independent | Bhushan Naik | 2,571 | 1.96% | New | |
| Independent | Mulla Nadeem Ahmed | 1,285 | 0.98% | New | |
| Independent | Kumar Nagappa Heble | 1,047 | 0.80% | New | |
| BSP | Hosad Santosh Hanumant Prabhu | 902 | 0.69% | 0.62 | |
| Margin of victory | 9,884 | 7.53% | 3.56 | ||
| Turnout | 134,596 | 70.97% | 7.49 | ||
| Total valid votes | 131,191 | ||||
| Registered electors | 189,664 | 9.66 | |||
| Independent gain from INC | Swing | 16.27 | |||
Assembly Election 2008
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | J. D. Naik | 49,079 | 44.72% | 4.02 | |
| BJP | Naik Shivananda Narayana | 36,913 | 33.64% | 11.07 | |
| SP | Yashodhara Ganapa Naik | 12,538 | 11.43% | New | |
| JD(S) | Naik Parameshwar Tippayya | 4,211 | 3.84% | 5.14 | |
| Independent | Bhushan Naik | 2,946 | 2.68% | New | |
| Independent | S. M. Zakriya | 1,437 | 1.31% | New | |
| BSP | Santosha Hanumantha Prabhu | 1,437 | 1.31% | New | |
| Rashtriya Hindustan Sena Karnataka | Shetty Girish Lokeshwar | 1,179 | 1.07% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 12,166 | 11.09% | 7.08 | ||
| Turnout | 109,792 | 63.48% | 1.14 | ||
| Total valid votes | 109,740 | ||||
| Registered electors | 172,949 | 7.52 | |||
| INC gain from BJP | Swing | 0.01 | |||
Assembly Election 2004
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJP | Shivanand Naik | 46,471 | 44.71% | 0.42 | |
| INC | J. D. Naik | 42,301 | 40.70% | 6.32 | |
| JD(S) | Yashodhar Naik | 9,333 | 8.98% | 0.29 | |
| JP | Prof Tanaveer Asif Zerdi | 2,774 | 2.67% | New | |
| Independent | Hegde Shripad Narayan | 2,045 | 1.97% | New | |
| Independent | Bhushan K. R | 1,016 | 0.98% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 4,170 | 4.01% | 1.28 | ||
| Turnout | 103,940 | 64.62% | 0.21 | ||
| Total valid votes | 103,940 | ||||
| Registered electors | 160,852 | 12.09 | |||
| BJP gain from INC | Swing | 2.31 | |||
Assembly Election 1999
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | J. D. Naik | 42,004 | 47.02% | 39.82 | |
| BJP | Shivanand Naik | 39,567 | 44.29% | 12.01 | |
| JD(S) | Rama Narayan Naik | 7,763 | 8.69% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 2,437 | 2.73% | 18.53 | ||
| Turnout | 93,043 | 64.83% | 4.40 | ||
| Total valid votes | 89,334 | ||||
| Rejected ballots | 3,698 | 3.97% | 1.87 | ||
| Registered electors | 143,508 | 3.54 | |||
| INC gain from BJP | Swing | 9.28 | |||
Assembly By-election 1996
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJP | Shivanand Naik | 46,145 | 56.30% | 5.75 | |
| JD | Naik Damodar Gardikar | 28,718 | 35.04% | 22.94 | |
| INC | M. S. Naik | 5,904 | 7.20% | 18.39 | |
| Independent | I. M. Rizwan | 1,202 | 1.47% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 17,427 | 21.26% | 3.71 | ||
| Turnout | 83,754 | 60.43% | 8.92 | ||
| Total valid votes | 81,969 | ||||
| Rejected ballots | 1,762 | 2.10% | 0.08 | ||
| Registered electors | 138,606 | 5.09 | |||
| BJP hold | Swing | 5.75 | |||
Assembly Election 1994
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BJP | Dr. U. Chittaranjan | 45,308 | 50.55% | 44.57 | |
| INC | Naik Laxmi Manjappa | 22,931 | 25.59% | 13.84 | |
| JD | Gouda Shambu Narayan | 10,843 | 12.10% | 24.54 | |
| INC | Laxman. S. Naik | 9,600 | 10.71% | New | |
| SP | Lalita. G. Hegde | 941 | 1.05% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 22,377 | 24.97% | 22.17 | ||
| Turnout | 91,470 | 69.35% | 5.80 | ||
| Total valid votes | 89,623 | ||||
| Rejected ballots | 1,846 | 2.02% | 5.22 | ||
| Registered electors | 131,889 | 3.88 | |||
| BJP gain from INC | Swing | 11.12 | |||
Assembly Election 1989
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | Rama Narayan Naik | 29,513 | 39.43% | 15.13 | |
| JD | Gardikar Damodar Narayan | 27,421 | 36.64% | New | |
| JP | Gouda Shambu Narayan | 8,529 | 11.40% | New | |
| Independent | Victor Rodrigues | 4,508 | 6.02% | New | |
| BJP | Gajanan Parameshwar Naik | 4,473 | 5.98% | 14.09 | |
| Margin of victory | 2,092 | 2.80% | 15.97 | ||
| Turnout | 80,680 | 63.55% | 1.25 | ||
| Total valid votes | 74,840 | ||||
| Rejected ballots | 5,840 | 7.24% | 5.10 | ||
| Registered electors | 126,957 | 35.39 | |||
| INC gain from JP | Swing | 3.64 | |||
Assembly Election 1985
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP | Rama Narayan Naik | 24,621 | 43.07% | 8.98 | |
| INC | Gouda Shambu Narayan | 13,890 | 24.30% | 23.65 | |
| BJP | Madhav Rama Naik | 11,471 | 20.07% | New | |
| Independent | Uppur Chitttranjan | 5,815 | 10.17% | New | |
| Independent | Devadiga Annappa Bhaira | 1,369 | 2.39% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 10,731 | 18.77% | 14.67 | ||
| Turnout | 58,418 | 62.30% | 7.30 | ||
| Total valid votes | 57,166 | ||||
| Rejected ballots | 1,252 | 2.14% | 1.08 | ||
| Registered electors | 93,768 | 9.15 | |||
| JP hold | Swing | 8.98 | |||
Assembly Election 1983
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JP | Rama Narayan Naik | 30,119 | 52.05% | 11.67 | |
| INC | S. M. Yahya Siddika Umar | 27,746 | 47.95% | 42.72 | |
| Margin of victory | 2,373 | 4.10% | 9.91 | ||
| Turnout | 59,790 | 69.60% | 4.86 | ||
| Total valid votes | 57,865 | ||||
| Rejected ballots | 1,925 | 3.22% | 0.42 | ||
| Registered electors | 85,909 | 9.79 | |||
| JP gain from INC(I) | Swing | 2.34 | |||
Assembly Election 1978
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC(I) | Siddiq Mohamed Yahya Bin Umer | 30,800 | 54.39% | New | |
| JP | Dr. U. Chittaranjan | 22,867 | 40.38% | New | |
| INC | Naik Vasantrao Ganap | 2,961 | 5.23% | 50.71 | |
| Margin of victory | 7,933 | 14.01% | 7.32 | ||
| Turnout | 58,258 | 74.46% | 12.52 | ||
| Total valid votes | 56,628 | ||||
| Rejected ballots | 1,630 | 2.80% | 2.80 | ||
| Registered electors | 78,245 | 15.19 | |||
| INC(I) gain from INC | Swing | 1.55 | |||
Assembly Election 1972
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| INC | S. M. Yahya Siddika Umar | 22,751 | 55.94% | 24.94 | |
| INC(O) | Madev Bin Rama Naik | 14,074 | 34.60% | New | |
| Independent | Lakkumane Rama Shivappa | 2,686 | 6.60% | New | |
| ABJS | Honnappa Devu Naik | 1,162 | 2.86% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 8,677 | 21.33% | 3.64 | ||
| Turnout | 42,074 | 61.94% | 8.76 | ||
| Total valid votes | 40,673 | ||||
| Registered electors | 67,927 | 8.68 | |||
| INC gain from PSP | Swing | 0.03 | |||
Assembly Election 1967
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSP | J. M. Manjanath | 16,655 | 55.97% | New | |
| INC | H. R. Suraya | 9,224 | 31.00% | New | |
| SWA | H. A. H. A. Saheb | 3,876 | 13.03% | New | |
| Margin of victory | 7,431 | 24.97% | |||
| Turnout | 33,241 | 53.18% | |||
| Total valid votes | 29,755 | ||||
| Registered electors | 62,501 | ||||
| PSP win (new seat) | |||||
See also
References
- ^ a b "Karnataka Legislative Assembly Election - 2023". eci.gov.in. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
- ^ "Karnataka Loksabha Elections - 2019 - Voters Count" (PDF). ceokarnataka.kar.nic.in. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
- ^ "From communal harmony to terror infamy: How Bhatkal became a constant on intel agencies' radar". Hindustan Times. 19 September 2021. Archived from the original on 14 August 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Offensive charm". Telegraph.
- ^ Dev, Arun (10 March 2018). "The Forgotten Political Murder That Changed Bhatkal's Fate Forever". TheQuint. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ Nanjappa, Vicky. "How placid Bhatkal turned into a communal hotspot". Rediff. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Karnataka polls: In 'terror-tainted' Bhatkal, Hindu-Muslim divide polarises voters as well as decides candidates". Firstpost. 6 May 2018. Retrieved 16 June 2025.
- ^ "Karnataka Assembly Elections 2023: Bhatkal". Election Commission of India. 13 May 2023. Archived from the original on 26 April 2025. Retrieved 26 April 2025.
- ^ "Karnataka Legislative Assembly Election - 2018". Election Commission of India. Retrieved 4 February 2021.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 2013 : To the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka" (PDF). eci.nic.in. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 December 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
- ^ "General Election Karnataka Legislative Assembly 2008 Election Statistics" (PDF). Government of Karnataka. Archived from the original (PDF) on 1 February 2021.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 2004 to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 October 2010.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1999 to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 October 2010.
- ^ "Bye Elections - 1996 - Election Commission of India". old.eci.gov.in. Election Commission of India. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1994 to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 October 2010.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1989 to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 7 October 2010.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1985 to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 October 2010.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1983 to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 7 October 2010.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1978 to the Legislative Assembly of Karnataka" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 7 October 2010.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1972 to the Legislative Assembly of Mysore" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 October 2010.
- ^ "Statistical Report on General Election, 1967 to the Legislative Assembly of Mysore" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (pdf) on 6 October 2010.