The new Mayor will be elected on Saturday as the elections had been scheduled for the top posts. The JD(S) and the Congress, which have a tie-up in the MCC council, are going ahead with their alliance. The JD(S) is going to get the Mayor’s post as per an understanding reached between the two coalition partners. The Congress had held the Mayor’s post in the previous term with Pushpalatha Jagannath at the helm.
The Mayor’s post had been reserved for BCA (Woman) and the Deputy Mayor’s had been reserved for Scheduled Caste. There are many aspirants in the JD(S) camp. Namratha from Ward 22, Tasneem from Ward 26, Reshma Banu from Ward 17 and K. Nirmala from Ward 45 are the contenders. The party is yet to finalise the name and leaders under former Minister S.R. Mahesh have been holding talks for this. The name of C. Sridhar from Ward No 38 is doing the rounds for the post of Deputy Mayor in the Congress camp.
In the 65-member MCC council, the BJP is the single largest party with 21 councillors followed by the Congress with 19, the JD(S) at 18, the BSP at 1 while Independents are at 5. One seat is vacant with the High Court annulling the election of BJP’s Guru Vinayak from Ward 18.
Meanwhile, the Congress and the JD(S) have shifted their councillors to resorts fearing poaching. The JD(S) councillors were said to have been moved to a resort on KRS Road. These councillors are expected to arrive directly to the council hall here on Saturday for the elections. Also, they were said to have signed the whip issued by the party to abide by the decision of the high command.
