Mysore/Mysuru: With the Government on Thursday announcing the reservation matrix for Mayoral posts in ten City Corporations of the State, including Mysuru City Corporation (MCC), political activities have hottened up in city.

Currently, the MCC is ruled by JD(S)-Congress coalition, with Tasneem of JD(S) as Mayor and C. Sridhar of Congress as Deputy Mayor. The two parties had formed a coalition after the MCC elections in 2018, when the JD(S)-Congress coalition Government headed by H.D. Kumaraswamy was in power in the State. But in 2019, the coalition Government collapsed, following which the BJP came to power with B.S. Yediyurappa as the Chief Minister.

With the change in Government in the State, a political realignment is also likely to take place in the MCC too, with JD(S) likely to forge an alliance with the BJP in the changed political scenario. At the same time, the Congress too is wooing the JD(S) to continue the existing alliance.

Although no formal headway is made in respect of an alliance until now, talks between parties at the local leaders level has already begun, with BJP and JD(S) ground-level leaders reportedly having held first round of talks regarding forging an alliance. Meanwhile, sources in Bengaluru said that State-level BJP and JD(S) leaders are said to have formalised the alliance at Bengaluru and the official announcement is only a formality.

However, the Mayor post is the bone of contention between the two parties. While local BJP leaders want the post for the party, the JD(S) too will not give up the post  easily. 

Five of the JD(S) Corporators are said to be unhappy about the party forging an alliance with the BJP. Also many JD(S) leaders are exerting pressure on the party High command not to concede the Mayor post to the BJP if the alliance between the two parties goes through.

In the meantime, the race is hotting up among women Corporators from all the three parties as the Mayor post is reserved for General Category (woman). In case, the JD(S) concedes the Mayor post to the BJP upon reaching an understanding, then Sunanda Palanetra, the senior-most Corporator in the BJP, stands a good chance of becoming the first ever Mayor from the BJP, as the party has never won an absolute majority in the 65-member MCC.

In the JD(S) camp, there are talks of one among Ashwini Ananthu, Prema Shankaregowda and Bhagya Mahadesh becoming the Mayor, if the post goes to the party. While Ashwini Ananthu is a second time Corporator, both Prema and Bhagya are first time Corporators.

The MCC is a 65-member body, with BJP being the biggest party with 22 members, followed by Congress – 19, JD(S) – 18, 1 from the BSP and the rest 5 independents. However, the total electoral strength for Mayoral polls is 75, with MLAs of the city, S.A. Ramdas, L. Nagendra, Tanveer Sait and G.T. Devegowda, MLCs R. Dharmasena, Sandesh Nagaraj, K.T. Srikantegowda, Marithibbegowda and Narayanaswamy and Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha too  having the powers to vote. Taking into count its Legislators and MP, the BJP has 25 votes, Congress –  21 and JD(S) – 23. The candidate who gets 38 votes in the poll will become the Mayor of the city.

Meanwhile JD(S) MLA S.R. Mahesh, who spoke to reporters after a meeting at the party office last evening, said that the dates for the Mayoral polls is yet to be announced. Already, Congress MLA Tanveer Sait and former Congress Minister Krishna Byregowda, BJP MP Pratap Simha and District Minister S.T. Somashekar have held talks with him. However, a final decision on an alliance and the choice of Mayoral candidate will be taken after holding several rounds of talks with JD(S) leaders at different levels, before arriving at any decision, he said.

Chamaraja BJP MLA L. Nagendra said that he would not talk on behalf of any candidate at this stage, when the date for Mayoral poll is yet to be announced. Pointing out that his only intention is to see a BJP Mayor, he said that he is not particularly in favour of any candidate and it is the Party High command which decides on the party nominee for Mayor post. The party core committee will be meeting on the issue in a couple of days and a decision on alliance and Mayor post will be taken soon, he added.