Confusion prevailed on the corridors of the Mangalore City Corporation (MCC) after the BJP faced humiliation in the Mayoral election on Wednesday as questions on its fallout on the administration came to the fore.
Most councillors appeared confused whether they belonged to the ruling party or the Opposition after two members from different parties were elected Mayor and the Deputy Mayor. In the history of the corporation, members from the same party have always been elected as the Mayor and Deputy Mayor.
The councillors were not clear as to who should be elected as the whip and who should be considered as the Opposition Leader. Usually, a ruling party councillor is elected as the whip.
Lack of clarity on these issues in the Karnataka Municipal Corporations Act, 1976, seems to have added to the confusion. While Independent councillor Mariyamma Thomas pointed out that the posts of Whip and Opposition Leader had been created by elected councillors for the smooth functioning of the council, another Independent councillor Harish said the two independents and councillors of the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Communist Party of India (Marxists) would stake claim to be considered as the Opposition.
Committee
Congress councillor Naveen D'Souza said it was better to form a co-ordination committee comprising councillors of the BJP and the Congress for the smooth management of the administration. The equations in the Standing Committees, which play a key role in the decision-making process, too could be a matter of concern. In all the four standing committees for which members were elected on Wednesday, the BJP councillors are in majority.
Sources said the Mayor could not take independent decisions without consulting the BJP. It was because even if she gave approval for some emergency works or proposals, the BJP dominated council could reject them in the monthly council meetings and ensure that they were not ratified.
Admitting the status of limbo in the MCC, a senior official wondered whose orders they should follow.
Blame game
Meanwhile BJP blamed the election officer M.V. Jayanthi for its candidate's nomination for the post of Mayor being rejected on Wednesday.
“The election officer has acted under pressure. She has not acted as per the law,” alleged the former Dakshina Kannada district BJP unit President Monappa Bhandary. As to how an official could act against the BJP-ruled State Government, Mr. Bhandary said: “I do not know. These IAS officers do act under influence from various sources,” he told presspersons on Wednesday.
Mr. Bhandary said: “In fact the election officer initially accepted the nomination papers and the annexure that included the caste certificate. She (Ms. Bangera) did submit her caste certificate in a certain format, as sought by the officer, at the time of scrutiny.”
The election officer then rejected Ms. Bangera's papers on the grounds that she did not submit the caste certificate in time. The question of rejecting nomination papers did not arise, he said.
‘Format not in use'
Mr. Bhandary claimed that the format under which the election officer sought the caste certificate was no longer in use.
“It is illegal to ask caste certificate in the format that is not in vogue,” he said and said the election officer had poor legal knowledge. Asked why the party nominee submitted in the format that was illegal, Mr. Bhandary said: “How can she (Ms. Bangera) know about it? It has come to her knowledge only after her nomination was rejected.” Moreover, there was no need to ask for caste certificate at the time of nomination. “It is all about somebody proposing the name of the councillor and others seconding the candidature,” he said.
Mr. Bhandary denied friction within the party leading to the rejection of Ms. Bangera's nomination.
