MYSURU: In a dramatic development, the BJP has managed to get its corporator elected as the city’s mayor, thereby wresting power for the first time in the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC). In the mayoral polls held on Wednesday, Sunanda Palanetra, BJP corporator from Ward No 59, and a relative of former chief minister BS Yediyurappa, was elected as the new mayor.
The polls were necessitated after former Mayor Rukmini Madegowda’s membership of the Council was cancelled by the Karnataka High Court. It was strongly believed that the JDS and Congress — coalition partners in the MCC — will continue their tie-up to get their corporator elected as mayor.
Curiously, Congress member Anwar Baig continues to be Deputy Mayor, leaving House in a unique situation where there is no ruling or opposition party until February 23, 2022 when the term of the current mayor and deputy mayor office ends.
The BJP, which is the single largest party in the 65-member council, was kept away from power by the Congress and JDS all these years. Though the BJP has been making attempts since the last election to break the alliance, a last-minute game plan and sacrifice by the Congress had got both the Grand Old Party and the JDS to continue the alliance in the last mayoral polls.
A similar strategy was expected this time too. The BJP, however, left no stone unturned and held talks with JDS leaders, including MLA Sa Ra Mahesh, seeking support. And this seems to have worked in favour of the saffron party.While the Congress fielded Shanthakumari as its candidate, Ashwini Ananthu was fielded by the JDS.
Though the JDS and Congress leaders held meetings till the last minute, they could not arrive at a consensus. The Congress had sought the mayor’s post for the next six months and had offered the top post to the JDS for the remaining two terms.
However, in the last minute, JDS corporators did not lift their hands to vote in favour of Shantakumari which irked the Congress corporators. They staged a walkout raising slogans against the regional party, thereby putting an end to the alliance. The JDS corporators too staged a protest against Congress accusing them of violating the agreement.
Sunanda Palanetra, with 26 votes, defeated Shanthakumari and Ashwini Ananthu, who secured 22 votes each. She said that she will take all 65 corporators into confidence and work for the city’s development. She further added that she will towards making Mysuru bag the cleanest city tag again. Meanwhile, District Minister ST Somashekhar credited the win to team work by BJP leaders and city unit party workers.
However, Shanthakumari blamed a secret pact between the JDS and BJP for her loss. She went on to allege that money had changed hands.