Will it be a ‘Mayorless’ Dasara ?

Mysuru: Will it be a Mayorless Dasara this year? Seems so as there is no indication of the announcement of Mayoral poll schedule.

The Mayor is a key person during Vijayadashami procession and the person occupying that post rides a horse.

The MCC polls was held on Aug. 31 and the results were announced on Sept. 3. But even after one month, the Urban Development Department is yet to issue a directive to the Regional Commissioner (RC), Mysuru on holding the Mayoral polls.

A few days after the MCC results were out, the Government announced the Reservation matrix for Mayoral posts, according to which the Mayor’s post is reserved for woman (General Category) and the Deputy Mayor’s  post for BC(A) candidate.

The BJP has 22 members, Congress-19, JD(S)-18, BSP-1 and Independents-5 in the 65-member civic body.

The term of the last Mayor B. Bhagyavathi and Deputy Mayor M. Indira ended on Sept. 4 and so also that of the rest of the members of the previous Council. IAS Officer and Chamarajanagar Deputy Commissioner  B.B. Cauvery was given Additional charge as MCC Administrator with effect from Sept. 5.

B.B. Cauvery held the post until Sept. 16 following which another IAS Officer Kapil Mohan was appointed as MCC Administrator on Sept. 17. Kapil Mohan, who is serving as Director General, Administrative Training Institute (ATI) Mysuru, also holds concurrent charge of Regional Commissioner, Mysuru and In-charge Principal Secretary of Public Enterprises Department in Bengaluru.

The delay in the election of Mayor is due to the delay in Government making a Gazette notification of the newly-elected MCC members. The Gazette notification is important as the Government can direct the Regional Commissioner to hold Mayoral polls only after that process.

Deputy Commissioner Abhiram G. Sankar, taking note of the inordinate delay in the constitution of the new MCC Council, wrote a letter to the Government drawing its attention for the election of a new Mayor. But the Government is still to make a Gazette notification.

The last time that the city celebrated Dasara without a Mayor was in two consecutive years — 2006 and 2007 — as the post had remained vacant then. B. Bharathi was Mayor from 30.6.2005 to 21.6.2006, following which the then Deputy Commissioners Selva Kumar also functioned as MCC Administrator from June 22, 2006 to Aug. 24, 2007, Channappa Gowda for just four days from 24.8.2007 to 27.8.2007, Manivannan from Jan. 28, 2008 to Feb.18, 2008, when Ayub Khan took over as Mayor on Feb. 18, 2008 and took part in Dasara 2008.

N.M. Rajeshwari Somu, who was Mayor from Sept. 5, 2013 to Oct. 9. 2014, had the distinction of being part of Dasara for two years — 2013 and 2014, while the last Mayor B. Bhagyavathi who held the post from Jan. 24, 2018 to Sept. 4, 2018, was the only Mayor who failed to take centre stage during Dasara procession on Vijayadashami Day.