The ruling Marathi group, which holds sway in the 58-member council of the Belagavi City Corporation, is yet to reach a consensus on its probable candidates for the posts of Mayor and Deputy Mayor, even as the election is scheduled for Saturday.
The post of Mayor has been reserved for the general category and that of Deputy Mayor for general-woman.
The Marathi group has 32 members, sufficient to sail through the contest. While the combined strength of Kannada-Urdu group account for 26 members, Satish L. Jarkiholi, Minister for Small Scale Industries; Suresh C. Angadi, MP; and Feroz N. Sait, Sambhaji L. Patil, and Sanjay B. Patil, MLAs, too enjoy voting rights.
As discussions in the Marathi group to finalise candidates for the post of Mayor continued till late evening on Friday, there is no consensus over the candidature of Kiran Krishnarao Sayanak (ward no.7), Mohan Remaji Belgundkar (ward no.42) and Vinayak Gopal Gunjatakar (ward no.6).
The situation is similar for the post of Deputy Mayor, as Maya Vinod Kadolkar (ward no.32), Vaishali Ravindra Hulaji (ward no.27), and Meena Rayman Vaaz (ward no.34), are the contenders.
The candidates would be finalised before the commencement of the election process, a senior member told The Hindu .
Interestingly, the Opposition represented by the Kannada-Urdu group is looking forward to a last minute split in the Marathi group, which could be even in the form of a few absentees.
Deepak Jamkhandi, a strong supporter of the former MLA Abhay Patil, is all set to stake his claim for the Mayor’s post.
Malagi Jayashree Prakash (ward no. 47) and Shanta Hanamant Uppar (ward no. 54) are the contenders for the post of Deputy Mayor. The possibility of another woman member being finalised for the post cannot be ruled out.
According to a prominent Opposition member, Mr. Jamkhandi’s prospects hinges on the votes of four MLAs and the Member of Parliament.
Even if this materialises and take its tally to 31, it would still fall short of two votes required for victory. However, in the event of a split in the Marathi camp or at least two members being absent or remaining neutral, the Kannada-Urdu group can win the contest.
The post of Mayor has been reserved for the general category and that of Deputy Mayor for general-woman
