Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday announced the first list of 33 candidates for election to Mangalore City Corporation council on March 7. Election will be conducted in 60 wards of the council.
Of the 33 candidates, the party has fielded 14 candidates, who were councillors in the last body.
This time the party has denied ticket to Yashawanth Meenakaliya, immediate past chairman of the Standing Committee for Town Planning and Improvement. Mr. Meenakaliya had won from Baikampady ward (No. 10) in the 2007 election. The party has fielded Rajesh Saliyan, a new face, from the same ward this time.
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At the same time, the party has fielded Roopa D. Bangera again from Kadri North ward (No. 32). Ms. Bangera, who was the Mayoral candidate of the party in 2012, missed the post as she had failed to submit her caste certificate in the prescribed format while filing her nomination.
As a result, the Election Officer had rejected her nomination, which paved the way for Gulzaar Banu of the Congress to get elected as the Mayor.
Thus, the BJP, though in a majority in the council, could not get its candidate elected as the Mayor.
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In Maroli ward (No. 37), which was represented by James D’Souza, who had quit the Congress and won on the BJP ticket in the last election, the party has fielded a new candidate Jagadeesh Shenoy as Mr. D’Souza returned to the Congress again a few days ago.
The party has fielded the former whip in the council Premananda Shetty again from the Mangaladevi ward (No. 56).
Ganesh Hosabettu, former Mayor from Hosabettu ward (No. 9); Shantha R, immediate past chairperson of the Standing Committee for Taxation Finance and Appeals from Panjimogaru ward (No. 12); Bhaskarchandra Shettty, immediate past chairman of the Standing Committee for Public Health, Education and Social Justice and Harish Shetty, immediate past chairman of the Standing Committee for Accounts from Bangra Kuloor (No. 16) have been fielded again.
The others who have been fielded for the second time include Sumitra Kariya from Surathkal West (No. 2); Sharat Kumar from Kunjathbail North (No. 13); Madhu Kiran from Kunjathbail South (No. 15); Shakila Kava, the former Deputy Mayor, from Padavu West (No. 21); Ranganath Kini from Court ward (No. 40); Diwakar from Cantonment (No. 46); Vijaya Kumar Shetty from Alape South (No. 50); and Sudhir Shetty from Kannur (No. 52).