Sunanda Palanetra of the BJP was on Wednesday elected as the Mayor of Mysuru after the tie-up between JD(S) and the Congress, whose coalition was in power in the 65-member Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), fell apart.
The JD(S) preferred to stay neutral in the mayoral polls at the last minute even as the Congress councillors staged a walk-out protesting against its coalition partner’s “sudden” change in stand.
With the election of Ms. Palanetra of ward number 59 (Kuvempunagar ‘M’ block) as the 35th Mayor, the BJP has come to power in the MCC for the first time since 1983, the year when the first mayoral election was held. The Mayor post was reserved for general category (woman).
BJP is the single largest party in the MCC with 22 councillors followed by the Congress, which has 19 councillors. The JD(S) has 17 councillors. There are five Independents and one councillor from BSP. The mayoral poll had become necessary as the election of Rukmini Made Gowda of the JD(S), who was elected Mayor a few months ago, from ward no. 36 was annulled on the grounds she had submitted a false asset affidavit.
Until the last minute, there was speculation that the JD(S) and the Congress would continue their coalition. The Congress had sought the Mayor’s post while reportedly offering the top post to the JD(S) for the remaining two years.
The BJP leaders led by Minister in charge of Mysuru district S.T. Somashekar had met JD(S) leader and former Minister S.R. Mahesh in the run-up to the election and sought the party’s support for their candidate. The JD(S) was said to have been inclined to go with the Congress. However, the sudden change in JD(S) strategy on the day of the election startled the Congress leaders.
Congress leaders, including KPCC working president R. Dhruvanarayan and MLA Tanveer Sait, who played a key role in the last election, had met the party councillors and worked out plans for Wednesday’s poll.
Ms. Palanetra and H.M. Shantha Kumari of the Congress (ward no .32) filed their nominations besides Ashwini Ananthu of the JD(S) (ward no. 37). Regional Commissioner G.C. Prakash conducted the poll.
Ms. Palanetra secured 26 votes while Ms. Kumari and Ms. Ananthu polled 22 votes each. The votes of BJP MLAs S.A. Ramdas and L Nagendra, MP Pratap Simha, and Independent member M.V. Ramprasad went in favour of Ms. Palanetra.
Nineteen Congress councillors, Mr. Sait, and two Independents voted for Ms. Kumari. Besides the votes of its 17 councillors, the JD(S) got the votes of MLCs K.T. Srikante Gowda and Maritibbe Gowda, two Independents, and a BSP member. JD(S) MLA G.T. Deve Gowda and MLC Sandesh Nagaraj stayed away from the polls.
“No BJP member had become the Mayor since the last 38 years. The party leadership is happy about the development,” said Mr. Somashekar. He, however, denied any tie-up or “secret pact” with the JD(S). “The BJP candidate had filed her nomination and won after securing the highest votes,” the Minister said.
