Will stay neutral during voting if Cong refuses mayor’s post, says SR Mahesh

Mysuru: The BJP is looking to capitalise on the widening gulf between the Congress and the JD(S), and stake claim to the mayor’s post in the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) Council for the first time. Although the JD(S) and the Congress have an understanding in the urban local body, the rift between the alliance partners has only been widening after the Congress moved the court seeking the annulment of former mayor Rukmini Madegowda’s election.
Former minister and senior JD(S) MLA SR Mahesh said that the party would remain neutral should the Congress refuse to cede the mayor’s post. “We have decided against allying with the BJP. Since the corporators in our party are insisting on the mayor’s post being given to us, we will discuss what our next course of action should be at a meeting on Tuesday. We will remain neutral during the mayoral poll on Wednesday if the Congress refuses our demand,” Mahesh said.
Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) working president R Dhruvanarayana, meanwhile, exuded confidence of the alliance in the MCC Council lasting the full term. “But we want the mayor’s post for the remaining six months of the term, in return for which, we are willing to offer both the mayor and deputy mayor’s posts to the JD(S) next year,” Dhruvanarayana said.
Narasimharaja MLA and senior Congress leader Tanveer Sait, meanwhile, said that he had not received any intimation from the party leadership on his role in the mayoral election. Sait taking a backseat on the eve of the mayoral poll has added grist to the rumour mill of simmering discontent between him and former chief minister Siddaramaiah. The former CM was none too pleased when Sait decided to cede the mayor’s post to the JD(S). The row escalated, leading to KPCC president DK Shivakumar issuing a show-cause notice to Sait.
Consequently, the party has vested the responsibility of overseeing the mayoral elections to Dhruvanarayana. The BJP, meanwhile, has decided to wait and see how the situation within the alliance unravels, and which way the JD(S) swings.
Candidates file nomination
Congress candidate Rajani Anaiah, S Leelavathi of the JD(S) and BJP’s Shobha Ramesh filed their nomination papers for the bypoll to MCC ward 36 (Yaraganahalli) on Monday. The election is slated to be held on September 3. Rajani, accompanied by Tanveer Sait, visited the Marigudi temple in Yaraganahalli before filing her nomination. Leelavathi was accompanied by former minister SR Mahesh and MLC KT Srikantegowda while she filed her papers. Chamaraja MLA L Nagendra accompanied Shobha to the MCC office to file her papers.