Sunil Naik likely to contest on BJP ticket; official announcement expected on Friday

Bhatkallys News Bureau/ Ismail Zaorez Bhatkal 22 March 2018: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is set to announce Sunil Naik as the party's face from Bhatkal constituency for the upcoming State Assembly elections 2018, according to close sources informed with party high command decisions. The party's source informed Bhatkallys.com that the party will most likely officially announce Sunil as the candidate on Friday 23 March 2018, adding that the IT teams are already preparing the campaigning, by creating photos and banners of Sunil as the party candidate. If the announcement comes out on Friday then Sunil will be second official candidate from the Big Three parties of the state, with Inayathullah Shabandri already secured his ticket from JDS, leaving only ruling congress party without officially announcing its candidate from the constituency. The announcement will also bring down rumors mills which had its own says over the last few days about the fight for ticket being between JD Naik and Shivanand Naik in the BJP camp. Sunil Naik, has a strong grip over the young voters in the Bhatkal-Honnavar constituency, but was thought to be left out of the race amidst the senior pros of the party. The election of a young face amidst some senior candidates will also showcase the approach of the BJP of fielding young and new faces in the upcoming elections. Congress and JDS had been waiting for the BJP to announce its candidate to make strategies according but the elevation of as young face as Sunil's will definitely catch them into the troubled waters.