With the date of election to mayoral posts of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) likely to be announced on Wednesday, lobbying is on among aspirants for the post of Mayor, which has been reserved for Backward Classes and Minorities (A). The Deputy Mayor’s post is reserved for the general category.
The tenure of incumbent R. Lingappa got over recently and the government recently announced reservation for the posts.
The Janata Dal (Secular) and the BJP, which entered into an understanding after no party got a majority in the 65-member council during the 2013 elections, had shared the top posts since the last two terms. The alliance is likely to continue for the third term too.
In both terms, the Mayor’s post went to the JD(S), which is eyeing the post this time too. The BJP will have no option but to settle for the Deputy Mayor’s post since it has less numbers.
Despite being the single largest party with 21 seats, the Congress is sitting in the Opposition. The Janata Dal (Secular) has 20 seats while the BJP has 13 seats. There are seven independents, four SDPI members and one member each from the erstwhile KJP and BSR Congress party. A party needs to secure 33 seats to gain majority in the 65-member council.
Ever since the first elections to the Mysore City Corporation in 1983, no party has managed to get majority in the council. The MCC is the third biggest corporation, after Bengaluru and Hubballi-Dharwad.
Keen aspirants
Mahadevappa and B.M. Nataraj of the JD(S) are frontrunners for the Mayor’s post. Mahadevappa had earlier served as Deputy Mayor. This may weaken his chance but he is one of the senior members in the party.
There are also aspirants in the BJP too though its numbers are its disadvantage. M.K. Shankar and Shivakumar are eyeing for the top post.
The Congress is keeping its cards close to its chest. Nonetheless, D. Nagabushan, who is leader of the party in the council, is a top contender. His brother Dhruvakumar is a staunch follower of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
It has to be seen whether a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike-type alliance between the Congress and the JD(S) is likely to emerge in the MCC. However, the leaders of both parties are yet to discuss their strategies.
As top Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, are busy in the Cabinet expansion/reshuffle and off to New Delhi, the JD(S) too is sticking to a wait-and-watch approach. Local JD(S) leaders do not want to lose the Mayor’s post by aligning with the Congress, which is the single largest party. Once the election date is announced, politicking is expected to gain momentum and new strategies may emerge.
The post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor have been reserved for BCM (A) and General Category respectively
