BANGALORE: With all moves by aspirants to get the reservation pattern changed from the existing Backward Class (A) Woman to either General or Backward Class (B) categories being dismissed, frenzied activity has begun in the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BMP) Council.

Although the contest is between two senior women corporators — Mumtaz Begum (Shivajinagar) and N. Shantakumari (Moodalpalya) — from the ruling Congress, several other names have cropped up in the list of aspirants for the November 29 Mayoral polls.

These include Nazreen Naaz Mujeeb, Nagaratna Pillaraj and Gayatri Shivappa.

Sources in the BMP Council said most of these aspirants have started organising get-togethers and dinner parties for the corporators. "Some of them have presented expensive Deepavali gifts to the elected representatives expecting support from them," said a senior member.

But the Congress leaders who have a say in the choice of mayoral candidate, pointed out that the party is keen on choosing a candidate belonging to the minority community. "While the BC (A) category includes over 100 castes, there are only a few communities that have never got political representation so far.

This time the choice will be entirely based on merit and seniority of a candidate belonging to the minorities community because the city has not had a Muslim Mayor so far," sources close to Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President M. Mallikarjuna Kharge said.

"Unlike last time, the Congress is not keen on a secret ballot this year," the sources said.

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