Clamour for Vokkaliga mayor

There are more than 60 councillors in the BBMP council belonging to the community

The election to the posts of Mayor, Deputy Mayor and standing committees are just days away. Already, there is clamour among various communities demanding that the top post be given to councillors from their community.

On Saturday, the Vokkaliga community demanded of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which is the Ruling Party in the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) council, to choose a councillor belonging to that community for the Mayor’s post. If a Vokkaliga councillor is not chosen, the BJP will have to face the consequences in the next Lok Sabha elections, the Vishwa Okkaligara Maha Vedike cautioned.

This time around, the Mayor’s post has been reserved for the general category, while the Deputy Mayor’s post is reserved for the Scheduled Tribes.

The popular choice seems to be Gangabyraiah, councillor of Dr. Rajkumar ward. The others who are also vying for the top post are J.P. Park councillor B.R. Nanjundappa and Vijayanagar councillor H. Ravindra.

Powerful

There are more than 60 councillors in the BBMP council belonging to the community.

The politically powerful community had in the recent past ensured the victory of the BJP MPs in the Bangalore North and Bangalore South Lok Sabha constituency, which was a testimony of their hold on the city, he claimed.

However, off late, the community has felt neglected. “This can be assuaged only if a councillor from the Vokkaliga community is chosen as the next Mayor,” he added.