The Regional Commissioner of Mysuru has upheld the voting rights of Congress MLC Dinesh Gooli Gowda in the mayoral elections scheduled to be held on Monday.
After a petition was filed by JD (S) leader Ravichandre Gowda questioning Mr. Dinesh’s voting rights in Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) even though the MLC elected from local areas constituency of Mandya was a voter of Yeshwanthpur Assembly segment when he filed his nomination papers, Regional Commissioner of Mysuru pointed out that Mr. Dinesh was presently enrolled as a voter in Krishnaraja Assembly constituency in Mysuru.
Suspense continues
Meanwhile, suspense over the outcome of mayoral polls scheduled to be held on Tuesday in the hung Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) council continued till the eleventh hour on Monday.
With no alliance announced between any of the three mainstream political parties in the 65-member MCC council, a clear picture on the outcome of the elections to the post of Mayor and Deputy Mayor remained elusive on Monday.
While the BJP, which is the single largest party with 22 corporators, has a total of 26 votes, including the votes of an MP, two MLAs, and one MLC, the Congress enjoys 24 votes, including the votes of 20 corporators, an MLA, and three MLCs. The JD (S) on the other hand has 20 votes, including the votes of 17 corporators, an MLA and two MLCs. However, the votes of a BSP corporator and five Independents will also play a crucial role in the outcome of the polls.
While the JD (S) has sought the support of BJP in its bid to bag the post of Mayor, the saffron party has so far rejected any alliance. The Congress, which snapped its ties with JD (S) last year, has no plans for a patch up. Both the Congress and BJP have declared that they will go it alone and field candidates for the posts of Mayor as well as Deputy Mayor.
The JD (S) sought to remind the BJP that its decision to remain neutral in the mayoral polls last year helped the party bag the post of Mayor for the first time when its nominee Sunanda Palanetra donned the mayoral robe.
When asked about the possibility of tying with the JD (S) again this year, Minister for Cooperation S.T. Somashekar, who is also the Minister in charge of Mysuru district, said there was no understanding with any party this year. However, he admitted having received a call from JD (S) leader and former Minister S.R. Mahesh on the party’s stand in the mayoral polls. “I have not received any communication from the party’s State leadership. During a recent meeting convened by the party leaders in Mysuru to elicit the opinion of the corporators, it was decided to go it alone”, he said.
Former Minister Tanveer Sait said the Congress leadership had decided against tying up with any party for the mayoral polls.
