Karnataka - Mangalore   

BJP tastes power for the first time in MCC

— Photo: R. Eswarraj

Celebration: BJP supporters forming a human tower in front of Karnataka Polytechnic in Mangalore on Sunday to celebrate the victory of their candidates in the elections to Mangalore City Corporation Council.

MANGALORE: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is all set to sit in the treasury benches of Mangalore City Corporation Council for the first time, ending the two-and-half decade rule of the Congress.

In the elections held for 60 wards of the council on Friday, the BJP has won in 34 wards, the Congress in 20 wards, and the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Communist Party of India Marxists (CPI (M)) one each. Independent candidates have won in four wards. Of them, two are Congress rebels and one the BJP rebel. The other candidate was supported by the BJP.

This will be the fifth elected council. The Congress had ruled the previous four councils since January, 1984.

Although the council is a 60-member body, the Legislators and MPs whose constituency comes under the city corporation limits could vote to add to the strength of parties.

The BJP has three MLAs, two MPs, and one MLC in the region to one MLA and one MLC of the Congress. As a result, the council is a 68-member House in which the ruling party was required to get 35 votes to sit on the treasury benches.The BJP has six votes of: B. Nagaraja Shetty, N. Yogish Bhat and J. Krishna Palemar (MLAs); D.V. Sadananda Gowda and Manorama Madhwaraj (MPs), and Ganesh Karnik (MLC). The Congress has two votes of : U.T. Khader (MLA) and Blasius D’Souza (MLC).

Thus, the BJP will have 40 votes to 22 of the Congress. The BJP will have clear majority in the council.

Of the three former Mayors contested from the Congress, two have won and another has lost. MariyammaThomas, a BJP rebel, who contested as an independent candidate from Padavu Central (35), defeated Vijayar Arun, former Mayor, of the Congress and Sumana, the official candidate of the BJP. Santhosh, a Congress rebel, who fought as an independent candidate from Panambur Bengre (11) defeated B. Kamalaksha Salian of the Congress and Clifford Lobo of the BJP. K. Harish, another Congress rebel who contested as Independent from Idya East (6), defeated S. Pramod Bhandari, of the Congress and Sunil Agaramelu of the BJP.Jyothi Prakash, a BJP-supported independent candidate who won from Tiruvail (20) secured 2,412 votes to defeat Rita C. Suvarna of the Congress who secured 1,627 votes.

K. Krishnappa Mendon, a four-time councillor of the Congress from Alape North (51), has lost to the BJP. P. Mohan Kumar of the BJP who defeated him in the same ward secured 2,185 votes to 1,304 votes secured by Mr. Mendon.

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