Chiefs finally elected for MCC standing committees

Mysuru: After dilly-dallying for nearly eight months, finally mayor Shivakumar conducted the elections to chairpersons of four standing committees of Mysuru City Corporation on Thursday.
All the four panel members elected their chiefs unopposed. Congress won one chairperson’s post despite an understanding between JD(S) and the ruling BJP. Of the four, JD(S) managed to win three posts. The members to the four standing committees were elected on September 6, 2022. However, the election of the chairpersons were delayed owing to political reasons. The newly elected chiefs will be in power till September 6, when the term of the present mayor ends.
MD Nagaraj will head the standing committee on finance, Savitha will head the panel on social justice, V Ramesh will head the panel on accounts. Former deputy mayor and Congress member HM Shanthakumari will head the standing committee on urban planning and reforms.
It was expected that all the four posts would go to JD(S) as BJP was not contesting since it already had the posts of mayor and seputy mayor. However, JD(S) could win only three posts.
In the election for the standing committee on urban planning and reforms, Shanthakumari of Congress managed to get elected after JD(S) corporator Mohammed Rafiq abstained. With seven members in the committee, JD(S) had planned to win the poll with the help of its members.
JD(S) floor leader Ashwini Ananth accused Mohammed Rafiq of shifting his loyalty to Congress. She argued that Congress has promised him the ticket for the ensuing MCC polls. “However, we are happy for having won three posts,” she added.
Meanwhile, Shivakumar said the pre-budget meeting will be held soon after a meeting of the standing committee on finance is held. The budget presentation had been delayed as the elections to the standing committee chief posts were not held. Now that the elections are completed, the MCC budget could be presented on May 30 or June 1, he added.