“Hindutva is my commitment,” said BJP candidate for Dakshina Kannada Brijesh Chowta

Mangaluru: The BJP pulled a surprise by appointing former army officer and businessman Brijesh Chowta to succeed incumbent Dakshina Kannada MP and former Karnataka BJP president Nalin Kumar Kateel.

The choice to replace Kateel with a new face seems to be an attempt to quell anti-incumbency sentiment, but Chowta sees it as a chance to advance Dakshina Kannada’s development and bring it into line with PM Narendra Modi’s “Vikas and Virasat” program.