Karwar: In the end, it was an easy win for the BJP’s nominees – Nitin Pikle and Prakash Naik – who were elected respectively to the posts of president and vice-president of the Karwar City Municipal Council (CMC) on Sunday. The run-up to Sunday’s election had been marked by some drama, with the BJP taking its councillors, along with those of its allies, to a resort in Goa on Saturday to forestall any possibility of cross-voting. With four councillors from the JD(S) and two Independents voting in favour of the BJP’s candidates, the saffron party reclaimed power in the local urban body after seven years.
Meanwhile, in the Ankola Town Municipal Council (TMC), Shantala Nadkarni and Rekha Gaonkar were elected president and vice-president respectively.
In the 30-member Karwar CMC, both the BJP and Congress has 11 members. However, the support of the JD(S) councillors and two Independents, who did so at the instance of former minister Anand Asnotikar, swung the election in the BJP’s favour. Meanwhile, all 11 councillors of the Congress boycotted the election in a gesture of protest against the leadership of the party, for not making an effort to reach out to the JD(S) for support.
The Congress’s candidate for the president’s post Mohan Naik arrived at the venue only 11.45, by which time the deadline for the filing of the nomination for the election had elapsed by 15 minutes. Karwar assistant commissioner Priyanka M, also the returning officer for the polls, informed him of having missed the deadline and Naik left, much displeased with the turn of events.
Meanwhile, Uttara Kannada district in-charge minister Shivaram Hebbar was among those who congratulated the newly elected president and vice-president of the local body.