Congress to head one and JD(S) three others

Mysore/Mysuru: After a long delay of over eight months and five postponements, the polls to elect the Chairpersons of all the four Standing Committees of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) — Taxation, Finance and Appeals; Public Health, Education and Social Justice; City Planning and Reforms; Accounts —were finally held this morning in the MCC Hall. While the JD(S), which had helped the BJP in the Mayoral polls held last September, succeeded in getting the Chairperson’s post for three Standing Committees, the Opposition Congress succeeded in bagging the remaining one.

Though the polls had elicited a lot of curiosity in local  circles  due to political significance attached to these posts, the Heads to all four Standing Committees were elected unopposed, with the ruling BJP fielding no candidate, in accordance with a purported understanding with JD(S). 

JD(S) Corporator V. Ramesh (Ward 7) was elected as the Chairperson of Accounts Standing Committee while Savitha Suresh (Ward 44), also of JD(S) was elected as Head of Public Health, Education and Social Justice and R. Nagaraj (Ward 41) of the same party as Chairperson of Finance Standing Committee. Senior Congress Corporator H.M. Shanthakumari (Ward 32) was elected as Chairperson of City Planning and Reforms Standing Committee.

Though the Mayoral polls for the last term of the current tenure of the 65-member MCC was held in the first week of September last in which Shivakumar and Dr. G. Roopa, both of BJP, were elected as the Mayor and Deputy Mayor respectively,  there was delay in the conduct of polls for Standing Committees, reportedly due to political reasons. The Opposition Congress had protested undue delay in the holding of polls for these key posts in the Corporation, which was postponed five times.

Each Standing Committee consists of 7 members and one of them is elected Chairperson. Though the members were appointed following the last Mayoral polls, there was delay in electing the Heads.

Chairperson and Members of Standing Panels

1. Taxation, Finance and Appeals: R. Nagaraj (Chairperson), Members – B.V. Ravindra (Ward 18), M. Pramila Bharath (Ward 23), Shafi Ahmed (Ward 31), C.S. Rajani Annaiah (Ward 36), M. Chayadevi (Ward 52) and Puttaningamma (Ward 54).

2. Public Health, Education and Social Justice: Savitha Suresh (Chairperson), Members – Ayaz Pasha  (Ward 12), Savood Khan (Ward 14), Pradeep Chandra (Ward 15), C. Vedavathi (Ward 21), M. Satish (Ward 40) and M. Shivakumar (Ward 42).

3. City Planning and Reforms: H.M. Shanthakumari (Chairperson), Members – K.V. Sridhar (Ward 3), Samiullah (Ward 9), Mohammad Rafiq (Ward 27), S. Satwik (Ward 35), V. Lokesh (Ward 50) and Pallavi Begum (Ward 56).

4. Accounts: V. Ramesh (Chairperson), Members – Srinivas (Ward 4), Pushpalatha Jagannath (Ward 11), Ayub Khan (Ward 13), M.S. Shobha (Ward 48), N. Sowmya (Ward 49) and Sharadamma (Ward 63).

Soon after their election, the Chairpersons of the Standing Committees were greeted by Mayor Shivakumar and  Deputy Mayor Dr. G. Roopa.  MCC Commissioner G.Lakshmikantha Reddy and other officials were present.