BENGALURU: With the Congress coming to power in the BBMP Council, K R Puram MLA Byrathi Basavaraju from Congress seems to be emerging as a prominent leader within the party.
According to Congress sources, Basavaraju played an important role in the efforts, right from getting support of independents to taking the councillors to a resort. Friday was his day. He was standing at the door, preventing Congress members from stepping out of the council building.
The husband of one of the women councillors from Congress said they were under Basavaraju’s vigilance inside the resort. They were supposed to speak over the phone only in front of him. “He was monitoring us constantly and was successful,” he said.
Before to Mayoral election began, first-time MLA Basavaraju, who was waiting outside the Council building for the members arrivals, spoke in a raised voice to Minister Krishna Byregowda. Basavaraju expressed his displeasure over Byregowda arriving at 11.15 am. “Is this time to arrive? Why did you come this late?” he asked. He also expressed anger over the late arrival of Rajya Sabha member Prof Rajeev Gowda.
Basavaraju, who took oath as councillor among 198 councillors in 2010 was managing all Congress councillors and other supporters in 2015. He won the MLA election in 2013. “It would be no surprise if he gets a better position in Siddaramaiah’s Cabinet,” a Congress leader said.