Karnataka - Mysore   

Intense lobbying on in Congress, JD(S) for Deputy Mayor's post

Staff Correspondent

Elections on Thursday; Bharathi set to don mayoral robes

MYSORE: Even as Bharathi, the lone Scheduled Tribe candidate in the 65-member Mysore City Corporation, is ready to don the mayoral robes, political parties are lobbying for the post of Deputy Mayor and members of the four standing committees.

The election of Congress councillor from Medara Block in Chamaraja Assembly constituency in the city as the new Mayor is expected to be a tame affair and mere formality in the wake of the High Court's refusal on Tuesday to stay the election proceedings after the independent councillor, Bharatesh, challenged the reservation of the coveted post.

With the election of the new Mayor a foregone conclusion, the post of Deputy Mayor, which has been kept open for the general category, has become a bone of contention. Even though the Congress leadership has decided to leave the post of Deputy Mayor to the Janata Dal (Secular) as per the understanding arrived at last year, a few Congress councillors are said to be pressuring party leaders to contest that post as well.

Agreement

Pointing out that the reservation of the post of Mayor for a candidate from the Scheduled Tribes had been done at the behest of the Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, the Congress leaders contend that there is no reason for the party to cede the Deputy Mayor's post to the Janata Dal (S).

However, the Minister of State for Labour, Tanvir Sait, said that the Congress leadership is in favour of ceding the Deputy Mayor's post to the Janata Dal (S) to honour the agreement between the two parties. The demand for capturing the Deputy Mayor's post aired by a section of councillors will be discussed and a suitable decision will be taken before the Mayoral polls scheduled on Thursday, he said.

Meanwhile, the president of the city unit of the party, Ananthu, is busy consulting party leaders to finalise a candidate for the coveted post.

Elections will also be held for the post of members of the four standing committees of the corporation. Under the power-sharing agreement between the Congress and the Janata Dal (S), the Congress is expected to bag the post of Mayor and chairmen of the standing committees on work and accounts, while the Janata Dal (S) is expected to secure the posts of Deputy Mayor and chairmen of the standing committees on finance and health.

With an MP, three MLAs, and three MLCs also enjoying voting rights in the mayoral polls, the total strength of the House becomes 69.

The Congress has 26 members (23 councillors, one MLA, and two MLCs), the Janata Dal (S) has 20 members (18 councillors, one MLA, and one MLC), and the Bharatiya Janata Party has 11 members (nine councillors, one MP, and one MLA). There are eight independent councillors, and six councillors, who have been expelled from the BJP. One councillor died recently.

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