Mysore/Mysuru: The election of the Chairpersons to the various Standing Committees of the Mysuru City Corporation (MCC) has been repeatedly postponed and even the last MCC Council meeting that was supposed to be held on Monday (Mar. 13) was put off though a notification was issued.

The meeting was postponed as Mayor Shivakumar did not turn up as he was unwell.

The Opposition Congress and the JD(S) have expressed their unhappiness over the postponement of the election and said that the move is an attack on democracy.

As the elections are not held and the Standing Committees have remained headless, all development works in the city have come to a grinding halt, they alleged.

Congress leader and former Mayor Ayub Khan slammed the Mayor for the delay in the election and said that even after seven months after the Mayor-Deputy Mayor election was held, the Standing Committees have remained headless. “This shows that the BJP has the least respect for democracy,” he said.

Even the Finance and Taxation Standing Committee is headless and this will affect the MCC Budget preparation where funds are allocated. “If funds are not allotted where is the question of development,” he asked. 

A section of Corporators, led by Ayub Khan, held a protest yesterday demanding the immediate constitution of the Standing Committee Chairmen. Along with Ayub Khan, Corporators Sridhar, Shanthakumari, Shobha Sunil and Pallavi Begum were present.

They decried the Mayor’s move of not holding elections and alleged that the Mayor was alone enjoying the spoils of power as the power will be decentralised if the heads of Standing Committees are appointed.

JD(S) too stage demo

Even the JD(S) held a protest yesterday against the postponement of elections to the Standing Committee heads.

The protest was led by former Mayor Tasneem. Corporators SBM Manju, M.D. Nagaraj, Shobha Mohan, Ashwini Ananthu and Bhagya Mahadesh were present.

The protesters said that the Mayor was giving unnecessary excuses for not conducting the election and this is an assault on democracy. The Council Meeting has been postponed thrice for silly reasons, they charged.

“The Mayor who claimed that he was unwell has enthusiastically participated in the BJP’s Vijaya Sankalpa Yatra. This shows his lack of concern for a democratic process in the MCC which he heads,” the JD(S)    Corporators alleged.