Even though the Congress and JD(S) parted ways after the collapse of H.D. Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in the State, questions have arisen over the future of the alliance between the two parties in the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) ahead of the Mayoral polls.
The one-year tenure of incumbent Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath from the Congress and Deputy Mayor Shafi Ahmed from the JD(S), who were elected on November 17 last year, is coming to an end in a few weeks’ time.
In the hung 65-member MCC, the BJP had emerged as the single largest party with 22 seats followed by the Congress with 19 seats and JD(S) with 18 seats.
It remains to be seen whether the Congress and JD(S) will continue their alliance in the Mayoral polls or will the JD(S) and BJP renew their partnership, which was in place in the previous MCC Council.
The Congress and JD(S) had come together last year to form a coalition to run the State government.
Ms. Pushpalatha Jagannath is hopeful that the alliance will continue. The JD(S) is unlikely to rock the boat in view of the understanding that had been struck last year that the JD(S) will occupy the post of Mayor this year, she said.
Though JD(S) leader K.T. Cheluve Gowda said a final decision on the alliance is yet to be taken by the party leadership, he was of the opinion that the party will most probably continue its partnership with the Congress in the MCC.
“It has already been agreed that the JD(S) will occupy the post of Mayor for three terms and the Congress two. We might go with the Congress”, he said.
The BJP, on its part, said it had not heard from the JD(S) yet on the possibility of reviving their alliance in the MCC.
Meanwhile, the corporators are keenly looking forward to the category to which the government will reserve the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor in the MCC.
The date of Mayoral polls will be announced only after the reservation is announced.
The issue of alliance will be finalised in a week’s time if the polling date is announced, said Mr. Gowda.
Another factor
The forthcoming bypolls to the Assembly from Hunsur scheduled to be held on December 5 and the election code of conduct that comes into force is also expected to have a bearing on the Mayoral polls.
The Congress and JD(S) leaders said they will have to wait and see if the election code of conduct comes into force before the announcement of the reservation for Mayoral polls and if the code of conduct is restricted to Hunsur or extended to the entire district.
