The JD(S)-BJP combine is all set to capture power in the Mysuru Zilla Panchayat during elections to the post of the president and the vice-president scheduled to be held on Saturday.
While the JD(S) and the BJP have agreed to share the post of the president and vice-president respectively, the Congress has reportedly reconciled itself to sitting in the Opposition.
“Though we are the single largest party in the House, we don’t have the majority. So, we will sit in the Opposition,” Mysuru District Congress President B.J. Vijaykumar told The Hindu .
However, the Congress, which convened a meeting of all its 22 members on Thursday evening under the leadership of the District in-charge Minister V. Srinivas Prasad, has issued a whip to vote for its official candidates for the post of the president and the vice-president.
Meanwhile, the JD(S) will field either Nayeema Sultana from Annur constituency in H.D. Kote or Parimala Shyam from Antharasanthe, also in H.D. Kote, for the post of the president, reserved from BC A woman.
The BJP will be choosing from Sadanand from Tagadur, Guruswamy from Hadinaru and Nataraj from Mugur for the vice-president’s post, set aside for general category.
The Congress’ candidates will be finalised by Mr. Siddaramaiah.
The ZP members of the JD(S) as well as the BJP, who are camping in different resorts on the outskirts of Bengaluru and in Kodagu, are scheduled to return to the zilla panchayat premises on Saturday morning. Regional Commissioner A.M. Kunjappa will conduct the elections for the two posts for a term of five years. JD(S) leaders said that the absence of any ZP women member, belonging to BC A category, in the BJP made it easy for the two parties to clinch a deal under which the JD (S) will get the president’s post while the BJP candidate will be the vice-president.
“They do not have any member belonging to the category reserved for President. We have two,” said G.T. Deve Gowda, MLA.
BJP’s Mysuru unit President Hemanth Kumar said that they had no option, but to tie up with JD(S) as they would never ally with the Congress.
ZP composition
Total Seats: 49
Cong : 22
JD (S) : 18
BJP : 8
Independents: 1
