Udupi : The Udupi Zilla Christa Okkoota has urged the Congress high command to consider fielding Ivan D’Souza, MLC, as the party’s candidate for Udupi-Chikkamgaluru Lok Sabha constituency, in the polls.

Addressing presspersons here on Wednesday, Nery Carnelio, president of district unit of International Federation of Karnataka Christian Associations, said that there were about 25 to 30 lakh Christians in the State. The party should consider giving at least two parliamentary seats, Bengaluru Central and Udupi-Chikkamgaluru, to a Christian candidate. Mr. D’Souza should be considered for Udupi-Chikkamagaluru as he had been an active Congress leader, who mingled with people from all communities and had worked hard for the party, he said.

To a query, he said that the Okkoota would have no objection if the party fielded Congress leaders such as Vinay Kumar Sorake or Pramod Madhwaraj from the Udupi-Chikkamgaluru parliamentary constituency.

Janet Barboza, Maxim D’Souza, Charles Ambler, Prashanth Jathanna, Ashwin Quadros, Dion D’Souza, Steven Colaco, Okkoota leaders, were present.