Karnataka elections: Kumta Assembly constituency

Kumta is a town and a taluk in the Uttara Kannada district about 142 km south of Goa and 58 km north of Bhatkal. It is situated 72.7 km from Karwar, the district headquarters. It is one of the important stations along the Konkan Railway line running between Mumbai and Mangaluru.

Kumta was a part of the North Kanara district of the Bombay Presidency. The city came under the rule of Maratha Empire in the 1800s, who ceded it to the British at the conclusion of the Third Anglo-Maratha War in 1818. The British established Kumta city as a part of the Bombay Presidency. During the American Civil War, the cotton from the southern states that fed mills in England stopped supplying and the mills started importing a variety of cotton known as 'Kumta Hatti' this resulted in the development of Kumta port.

The city of Kumta is located on the Arabian sea coast with beautiful beaches very close to the town.

To the north of the city, the major Aghanashini river joins the Arabian Sea on her way rendering stunning scenery. The town of Gokarna near Kumta is famous for beaches.

Yana in Kumta taluk is famous for two massive rock outcrops known as the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara and the Mohini Shikhara ("Shikhara" means "hill"). The huge rocks are composed of solid black, crystalline karst limestone. Bhairaveshwara Shikhara is 120 metres in height, while the Mohini Shikhara, which is smaller, is 90 metres in height. Yana is also well known as a pilgrimage centre because of the cave temple below the Bhairaveshwara Shikhara where a Swayambhu ("self manifested", or " that which is created by its own accord") linga has been formed. Water drips from the roof over the linga, adding to the sanctity of the place.

Sharda Mohan Shetty from Congress party won against Dinakar Keshav Shetty of JD(S) with a margin of 420 votes.

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