The rapid urbanisation and industrialisation initiated in the 1970s has had a significant impact on the socio-economic development and politics of Mangaluru region. The land reforms carried out by the Karnataka government created a void for the backward communities to forge new identities, especially in the Coastal Karnataka region of Karnataka. Coastal Karnataka region is one of the prosperous regions in the state, while Mangaluru city(name changed from Mangalore) is an influential city in the region. The current state of politics and socio-economic development in Mangaluru is a result of the expeditious changes that transpired over the last few decades.
Mangaluru city is an amalgamation of different social strata co-existing together. While the city is home to some of the richest industrialists and politicians, on the other hand, the bidi rollers, fishermen, weavers, wage labourers and backward communities are also part of the social dynamics of the city. Politics and business go hand in hand, as several businessmen in the city have affiliation to the political parties, the relation, however, has benefitted the region in general.
The 1970s was a period when the central government in coordination with the state governments implemented several land reforms that led to the changing socio-economic dynamics in Mangaluru. Under the leadership of the then Chief Minister of Karnataka Devaraj Urs, the government steered several reforms that not only benefitted Mangaluru alone but ushered in a new-era of development in the state. The reforms opened up several new horizons for the backward and minority communities in Mangaluru to move into different occupations. Some communities moved away from their previous sources of income to new professions, that helped them create a new identity for themselves, while shedding off their feudal-age identities.
The Congress party had support base that was constituted of the poor and backward communities, while the BJP had a strong presence amongst the Bunts, upper caste Hindus, and the Saraswat Brahmins. However, in the recent years, the dynamics of the support bases for both the parties have changed due to the social and economic transformation.
At present, majority of the cooperatives have seen a rise of Hindutva elements taking over these cooperatives in the Coastal Karnataka region. The 1990s saw BJP mustering a strong vote base in the region. By 2004 Karnataka Assembly elections, the shift in voter base was visible as BJP won 14 seats out of the 24 seats comprehensively, while Congress was left with only 5 seats in the Coastal Karnataka. The 2013 Karnataka Assembly saw role-reversal, as Congress managed to secure 14 seats, while BJP failed to get more than 5 seats. This year BJP has pitted three newcomers against the experienced Congress candidates for the upcoming state assembly elections. Although, the BJP has a strong support base in the city of Mangaluru and Coastal Karnataka, but it remains to be seen whether the party can emulate the performance that helped them to establish their first government in the southern states in 2008 or will Congress retain the seats they managed to win in 2013.
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