Elections 98

State:	Karnataka
Constituency:	Udupi
Total Votes Polled:	678749
Winner: BJP	I.M.Jayarama Shetty	341466
Runner Up: INC	Oscar Fernandes	284898
Margin: 56568 (17%)

Elections 96

State:	Karnataka
Constituency:	Udupi
Total Votes Polled:	642416
Winner: INC	Oscar Fernandes	235932
Runner Up: BJP	I M Jayarama Shetty	233478
Margin: 2454 (0.39%)

The only time it went out of the Congress orbit was in 1967, but otherwise it has remained with the party. Oscar Fernandes represented it from 1980 onwards till 1996 but in the last election the BJP lost by a mere 1,500 votes.