Lock MCC Commissioner’s Office; Sit on protest in front of Mayor’s Chamber

Mysore/Mysuru: Tension prevailed for some time at Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) premises this morning as the elections of Chairmen to four Standing Committees of the MCC was postponed for the fourth time in a row, triggering flash protest by Congress Corporators.

The irked Corporators were led by former Mayor and sitting Corporator Ayub Khan, who allegedly broke a flower pot kept in front of MCC Commissioner’s Office in the first floor of the Main Office building. The Corporators also locked the door of Old Council Hall and the Commissioner’s Office on the same floor. However, later it was heard that the pot was broken when somebody among the group accidentally stepped on it.

Nevertheless, the Congress’ bid to lock the door of Mayor Shivakumar’s chamber went in vain as a posse of Policemen from Krishnaraja Police Station, who were on the spot, restrained them citing reasons.

Unfazed, the Corporators staged a sit-in protest in front of Mayor’s chamber and raised slogans, alleging unscrupulous ways being practised by the First Citizen of Mysuru, by calling the shots in connivance with the officials to postpone the elections.

While the members to four Standing Committees — Taxation, Finance and Appeals Standing Committee, Public Health, Education and Social Justice Standing Committee, City Planning and Reforms Standing Committee and Accounts Standing Committee — were elected during Mayoral elections held on Sept. 6, 2022, the elections of Chairmen were pending. The procedures related to elections scheduled at 11.30 am were underway, when the Mayor allegedly sent a note to the Council Secretary regarding the postponement of elections. Before that, the Mayor had called back BJP and JD(S) Corporators, thus creating a lack of quorum. This, however, enraged the Congress Corporators.

Speaking to media persons, Ayub Khan alleged, “The Mayor is acting like a dictator and is postponing the elections to Standing Committees, with the ulterior motive of passing the bills on his own. Despite specific instructions from the Regional Commissioner’s Office to conduct the elections at the earliest, the Mayor is creating hurdles. The officers are also acting like puppets of the BJP and the recalling of JD(S) Corporators shows that they have a secret pact with the ruling BJP.”

Ayub Khan further alleged that such arbitrary moves will lead to corrupt practices and also bribery, thus proving a bottleneck in developmental works.

Congress Corporators  including former Mayor Pushpalatha Jagannath, former Deputy Mayors Shanthakumari and Sridhar, J. Gopi, Lokesh (Piya), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Corporator Begum (Pallavi) and others  took part in the protest.