BJP yet to finalise mayoral candidate

Mangaluru: While the election for the 23rd term mayor of Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) will be held on September 9, BJP, which has an absolute majority in the council, is yet to finalise its candidate.
While BJP won 44 out of the 60 wards, Congress bagged 14 wards, and SDPI has two seats in the election held for the MCC council in 2019. The government has reserved the post of the 23rd mayor for the general category and deputy mayor’s post is reserved for a Backward Class A woman. Since the majority of BJP corporators are new faces, senior corporators including Sudheer Shetty, Shakeela Kava and Sumithra Kariya are in the race.
Since the post of mayor for the 23rd and 24th terms are reserved for general category as per urban development department notifications, BJP is likely to select a woman candidate, according to party sources.
Mayor Premanand Shetty of the BJP, whose tenure ended on March 1, told TOI that party leaders and MLAs will finalise the name of the candidate within a day or two.
“The party has not yet held a discussion on the mayoral election. Senior party leaders including district president Sudarshan Moodbidri will finalise the names after discussion with MLAs D Vedavyas Kamath of Mangaluru City South and Dr Y Bharath Shetty of Mangaluru City North. Since the mayor’s post is reserved for general category, all corporators are eligible to contest. There are chances that a corporator from Mangaluru City North may become the candidate,” said Shetty.
“As the post is reserved for the general category, women corporators may put pressure on the party to select a woman candidate. The party will have to consider the demand of women corporators either for the 23rd or 24th term,” he added.
The Congress has not taken a decision on candidates. Corporator Abdul Ravoof said the party will meet on Wednesday. “Though the Congress has no majority, it will ensure participation,” he said.