The alliance between the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) continued with the election of JD(S) councillor M.J. Ravi Kumar as the new Mayor of Mysuru on Wednesday, while BJP councillor Rathna Lakshman was chosen the new Deputy Mayor.
Mr. Ravi Kumar, who was the JD(S)-BJP combine’s candidate for the post of Mayor, polled 42 votes against the Congress candidate J.S. Jagadish, who secured 30 votes.
Similarly, the combine’s candidate for the post of Deputy Mayor Rathna Lakshman polled 41 votes to triumph in the polls against Congress nominee C.S. Rajini, who secured 31 votes.
Regional Commissioner M.V. Jayanthi, who conducted the elections with the assistance of Deputy Commissioner D. Randeep and MCC Commissioner G. Jagadeesha, by asking members to raise their hands in support and against the candidates in the fray, eventually declared Mr. Ravi Kumar and Ms. Rathna Lakshman elected as Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively. Mr. Ravi Kumar, also known as Chinni Ravi, represents ward no. 35, while Ms. Rathna Lakshman has been elected from ward no. 48 of MCC. The State government had reserved the post of Mayor for general category and Deputy Mayor for a woman from general category. Though JD(S) councillor K.T. Cheluve Gowda was also lobbying for the party’s nomination to the post of Mayor, he was pipped to the post by Mr. Ravi Kumar.
Party leaders are believed to have convinced Mr. Gowda to withdraw from the race when party councillors were camping in a resort on the outskirts of Bengaluru on Tuesday.
Apart from 64 councillors, including outgoing Mayor B.L. Bhyrappa and outgoing Deputy Mayor Vanitha, Minister for Primary and Secondary Education Tanvir Sait, Pratap Simha, MP, MLAs Vasu, M.K. Somashekar and G.T. Deve Gowda, besides MLCs Dharma Sena, Sandesh Nagaraj, Marithibbe Gowda and Srikante Gowda participated in the elections.
