Seven Independent councillors-elect of the BBMP, who are supporting the Congress-JD(S) alliance, have been given the lion’s share of the positions of chairmanship of crucial standing committees, as part of the deal, sources confirmed.
City in-charge Minister Ramalinga Reddy and JD(S) MLA Zameer Ahmed Khan, who held a meeting on Thursday, decided that all the seven Independent councillors-elect should be made chairpersons of each of the standing committees. And, the Congress and the JD(S) will get three and two chairman positions respectively.
Congress councillor will chair the Taxation and Finance Committee and present the annual BBMP budget, besides chairing Education, and Establishment and Administrative Reforms Committees. JD(S) members will chair Major Public Works Committee and Horticulture Committee. Seven Independents will be chairpersons of the rest of the committees.
It is now almost certain that B.N. Manjunath Reddy, a three-time councillor from Madiwala (Congress), and Hemalatha Gopalaiah, a first-time councillor from Vrushabhavathi Nagar [JD(S)] will be the Congress-JD(S) alliance’s candidates for positions of Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively. However, the parties refused to officially announce their candidature. BJP is also going to field its candidates.
