HUBBALLI: Former chief minister Jagadish Shettar , who is dreaming of a double hat- trick as an MLA at Hubballi-Dharwad central constituency, is facing 25 opponents, the highest in Dharwad district this time.With 26 candidates at Hubballi-Dharwad Central, it has become difficult for voters to choose the candidate of their choice. The constituency has candidates from eight parties and 18 Independents, which is also the highest in the district.Many Independent candidates claim they are contesting as a token of protest against Shettar’s failure in taking up development works. Abhay Kumar Havalad, one of the Independent candidates, said that he was gearing up for civil service exams but could not tolerate after seeing the situation in the segment.Gopal Kulkarni, another Independent candidate who was associated with an educational institution lead by the Pejawar Math, asserted that he had withdrawn his nomination in 2013 bowing to the pressure of his elders and mentors. “However, my well-wishers and mentors were disappointed and were pointing at the lack of development in the constituency. We realized that people are looking for a new face, particularly for an apolitical person. So, I am in the fray,”he said.Aam Aadmi Party candidate Santosh Nargund says voters of the constituency are losing faith in democracy. “That is why the constituency recorded the lowest polling since 1957, at 54.57% in 2013. Only 51.10% (53,667 out of 1,04,982) of female voters and 57.97% male voters (62,095 out of 1,07,071) turned up at polling booths then.” he says.It should be noted that the turnout in 2013 was the lowest even after 20,101 applications seeking enrolment in the voters’ list were received over a span of 45 working days before the elections. According to statistics from the Election Commission, the other constituencies in the district received less than half the number of applications compared to the then CM’s turf.

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