MANGALURU: The urban development department has cleared the decks for election of city new mayor.
A direction from principal secretary to the commissioner,
Mangaluru City Corporation on February 3 to proceed with the election to the post of mayor and deputy mayor as per the reservation roster for the 21st term dated September 3, 2018 has set to rest doubts about confusion that prevailed on the roster that the civic body had to follow.
Accordingly, the mayor will now be a candidate from BCM ‘A’ category and that of deputy mayor for woman general. The February 3 letter reminded
Shanady Ajith Kumar Hegde, the commissioner that the civic body was yet to conduct election for the posts as per the roster for the 21st term and the same must be followed. The principal secretary also directed Hegde to take steps to ensure that the elections to the posts are conducted forthwith.
The confusion arose when the BJP government on December 26, 2019 issued the reservation roster for the post of mayor and deputy mayor for 11 city corporations including Mangaluru for the 22nd term. The officials were in a dilemma on going ahead with the elections with this reservation that reserved the post of mayor for general and that of deputy mayor for general woman candidate as MCC was yet to hold elections as per the roster for 21st term.
Ajith Kumar Hegde said based on direction from the principal secretary, MCC on Tuesday has written a letter to the regional commissioner, Mysuru to fix the date for the elections. It is now up to the regional commissioner to take forward the election process, he said. BJP swept the elections to 60-member council held on November 12 winning 44 wards relegating ruling Congress to 14 wards. Social Democratic Party of India won two seats.
Dr Y Bharath Shetty,
Mangaluru City North MLA told TOI that the party will take a call on the mayor candidate once the regional commissioner notifies the election date. Asserting that no names have been finalised, Dr Shetty said the party will strive to meet the assurances given to the electorate in the party manifesto and provide clean and transparent administration. This is for the second time in MCC's history that BJP has come to power.